Who Would Have Guessed?
by mayarox95
Summary: After the war, chaos is still at large. To prevent this, Dumbledore requests the marriage of two certain individuals to allow for unity to be shown. Can Draco and Hermione get along long enough to prove to everyone that the world can come together once more?
1. To Be Reunited

**Copyright**: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All those rights belong to the amazing Ms. Rowling, who is kind enough to allow us to write these fanfics. This story however, is one of my creation.

**A/N:** I have chosen to keep several characters, such as Dumbledore and Fred Weasley alive for the purposes of this story. This is my first fanfiction, so no flame please.

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_**Chapter 1**_

Hermione frowned as she stared at the letter before her. What could Dumbledore want with her? He had to be busy right now; the war barely ended a few months back. And it would be a lie to say that she had a lot of free time. Every second she was up, she was always at St. Mungo's treating those that the war had left injured in some sort of way.

The letter said it wanted her there for 10 am, which left her about half an hour to get ready. "Well might as well get out of bed," she thought sulkily. It was her first day off in Merlin knows how long. She was planning to go shopping with Ginny and then enjoy dinner with her and Harry at the Weasley's afterwards. She was thankful that Ron wouldn't be there. Hermione wasn't ready to see him again. Not after what he had done.

She got out of bed and once again observed herself in the full length mirror that was right across the room. The war had left her different, changed. Before she was a bushy haired girl, who could barely fit into her own skin; but now, even though she was only a few months older, the maturity was visible. Her bushy hair simplified into bouncy curls, and her stick like figure gained curves in all the right places. Mrs. Weasley made sure of that.

As Hermione walked around her flat after her shower, gathering things, she took time to stare at a picture of her, Ron and Harry. It had been taken just after 6th year. Before the war. She couldn't believe how happy she was with Ron back then. How wrong she had been.

She let out a sigh before stepping into the fireplace of her tiny haven. "Dumbledore's office," she muttered. Nothing happened. Hermione sighed, that meant someone else would be there as well. Hopefully it would be someone agreeable. She glanced at the clock and saw the time, 9:55, well at least she wouldn't be late. She grabbed a bit more flow powder and once again said the same few words she had just spoken.

She got out of the fireplace and wiped herself down. She never would get used to these magical types of transportation. Hermione wasn't quite sure which one she hated more, apparation, flowing, or flying. To her, none of them were her favourite, especially the last one.

"Hello Ms. Granger," a friendly voice greeted. Hermione smiled as she looked into the eyes of her beloved Headmaster.

Hermione opened her mouth to greet him back, when she found herself staring into the grey eyes of a certain blonde she had grown to hate.

"What is _he_ doing here."

~DM&HG~

Draco turned around at the sound of her voice and frowned. He wasn't expecting for there to be someone else here. When he received the note from Dumbledore asking him to meet him in his office, he had assumed it was so they could discuss how they were going to announce to the public that he was _not_ indeed a Death Eater, as he had lead so many to believe, but in fact, a spy for the Order.

Many people did not know about Draco's double role, which is what made it so difficult for him right now. They all thought that he and his mother belonged in Azkaban with his father. Dumbledore was vouching for him, but honestly, Draco wasn't sure just how long that would be able to hold up for. Which is why Draco assumed he would be here _alone_ today.

He looked at the brunette who had just flowed into the room. Merlin's beard. Was that _Granger?_ He hadn't seen her since the final battle. Last he heard, she was engaged to the weasel and spending all her time at the hospital treating those that the war had affected.

"Please have a seat next to Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore was saying as he escorted her over to sit beside him. Draco noticed how other than their initial eye contact, she had not looked over at him once.

He wasn't sure why exactly that bothered him. But for some reason he found that it annoyed him. It wasn't because of her blood, as one would assume. Draco never actually completely believed in blood purity. All those words were once that he was merely reciting; the words that his father had spent hours embedding into his head.

"Now Draco, Hermione," he said, addressing them both. "You may have wondered why I have called you here today."

Hermione fidgeted in her seat, trying hard not to look over at him

"While the war may have ended some months back, there is still a great deal of confusion. There may not be anything left to fear, but the gap between the wizard world has never been so large. Between the purebloods and the muggleborns, and those who were classified as light and dark, and the Ministry of Magic is afraid that the world will never be able to converge together after this. That is why they have come to me to ask for assistance. You see, I feel that the best way to get the world to come back together as one, would be if there was a little unity between the two sides," Dumbledore said, pausing.

"So what does that have to do with the two of us?" Draco asked. He didn't know where exactly this was going, but he feared that he would not like to know the answer.

"I want the two of you to get married."

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A/N: I'm sorry if it's bad, please review so I can improve :)


	2. A Shocking Decision

Chapter 2

Draco could not believe what he was hearing. _Marry_? There was no way; no way that Dumbledore just said they should get married. Sure he believed in unity and showing the world that he was actually good, but getting married was a completely different story. The old bat had finally lost it. There was no other explanation for the words coming out of his mouth. Maybe dodging all those killing curses had finally got to him. Besides you can only be so brilliant, and Draco was sure that Dumbledore was more crazy than actually brilliant.

"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said after keeping quiet for so long. "I understand where you are coming from with the idea of marriage. After all, what the world needs right now is more love. The world would be able to see how even through the midst of war, love can still exist. And if it can exist through such conditions, then surviving the after math would be a piece of cake." She paused for a moment.

Draco looked over at her directly for the first time since she entered the room. He drew in a deep breath at the sight at her. When she first entered he only got a brief look at her, and was shocked. Not only at what was coming out of her mouth, but by her physical appearance. Merlin's trousers, she had changed, she was actually kind of hot. No, hot was an understatement. She was bloody beautiful. But still, she was just as crazy as him. She sounded like she was quoting a bloody romance novel. The Granger he knew would not give into anything without a fight. Perhaps the war had left her soft.

"Granger, I cannot believe you are siding with him. Sure the world needs more love, but a _MARRIAGE_? Are you out of your bloody mind? There is no way I am agreeing to this," Draco blurted out without thinking.

She merely rolled her eyes at his outburst. "What I was going to say before Malfoy rudely interrupted, is that while a marriage is a good idea, shouldn't it be between to people who actually love each other? Between two who get along, and can show the world that love can prevail? Like Ginny and Harry for example, they would do perfectly for this. They loved each other through thick and thin, and even when they were aware of their love for each other, it was still there."

"Oh," was all Draco said next. He felt a little stupid at what he just said. But in his defense, it did sound like she wanted to marry him at the first chance she got.

"Ms. Granger, while that idea is still good, the bond wouldn't be as strong. Those two are both from what would be considered 'the light side'. And while Mr. Malfoy was also on the light side, after all he was the Order's source of information, but because of the name his father left for him he is still associated with the dark."

Granger's eyes widened at the news of his double role. It was now Draco's turn to roll his eyes. Did it seriously shock her that much to know that there was a bit of good inside of him?

"But, does it have to be me?" She said, pleading. Of course she didn't want to marry him, he had made her life bloody awful back at Hogwarts. Draco knew that he was probably the last guy on earth she would marry if it came to it. He wasn't really offended, he didn't want to marry her either, but he was afraid to offend her by protesting.

"Hermione," the Old Coot said softly, "You are one of the Golden Trio. If you were to marry Draco, it would send off a completely different message than if it was merely someone else. Unless-" Dumbledore looked hesitant to continue.

"Unless?" She asked, a bit hopeful.

"Unless you feel that you and Mr. Weasley-" He started.

"No."

"Are you sure there's no chance of that? I do not wish to commit you if your heart belongs to another."

Draco frowned at this exchange. Wasn't this was perfect then? Hermione couldn't possibly marry him, because she was still engaged to Ron. Dumbledore wouldn't make them get married if she was already set to marry him. So why was she so set against it?

"Trust me Professor, after what he did to me, I wouldn't go near him with a six foot pole. There is no way I would ever consider marrying him after that," she said bitterly.

Draco thought she was talking about him with that outburst.

"Look Granger, I do not like this as much as you, but you do not need to be so cold about it!" he said out angrily.

She scoffed. "Malfoy, not everything is about you. I wasn't even talking about you anyway. I was talking about Ron." She looked down at her hands at the last part. "Besides professor, he's happy now. He's finally getting all the things I couldn't give him. I wouldn't ever take him away from his happiness."

What had that weasel done to leave her so vulnerable? Draco felt the anger rush in at the thought of him hurting her. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that he wanted to pummel him at the first chance he got.

Draco sighed in again. "Dumbledore, if I were to pretend for one moment that I wanted to go along with this plan, what exactly would it entail?" he asked. He saw Hermione look over in shock at what he was saying. Of course she would be shocked.

Dumbledore's eyes lighted up with this suggestion. "Well for one, you would need to prove to the public that you actually do love each other. You can tell those closest to you of the arrangement, but none other. It is highly important that the masses believe that your love for each other is actually true. If people see you two not getting along, they will lose faith in the chance that the world can ever come together again. In addition to this, the two of you would need to have a child within the first year of your marriage. You may have as many children as you wish, but you need at least one heir. Nothing shows love and unity better than children."

Hermione looked up finally. "Professor, just to be clear, I do not like the idea of this, but I need to move on from Ron. And if I can accomplish that and bring the world to peace at the same time, then I will gladly do so. I accept the marriage agreement."

Bloody Freaking Hell. Did she just agree? There is no way she would want to marry him. Great, now there is no way he can decline the offer without looking like a ruddy tosser. Looking back on this moment, Draco still couldn't figure what it was that possessed him to speak these next words.

"I may not like this in the slightest, and perhaps this might be the stupidest thing that I ever do, but I also agree the terms of the marriage agreement."

The old tart just beamed at both of them.


	3. Telling Harry and Ginny

**Chapter 3**

"Dumbledore wants you do to what?" Harry practically yelled. Harry had been pacing back and forth from the moment that Hermione began telling her story.

She had arrived practically in tears, and all plans of a fun relaxing night had been thrown right out the window. Ginny had sat her down and allowed her to cry out most of her tears before asking her what had happened. Ginny and Harry listened to what she had to say, with several outbursts from Harry. It had taken a while to get through it all, but once she finally did, neither of the two said a word.

"I accepted," Hermione said finally. That got them both to start talking again.

"You what?" Harry practically yelled. "Hermione he's _MALFOY_. He doesn't have a shred of good in him. I don't know how he managed to fool Dumbledore, but there's no way Draco was a double agent. It doesn't make any sense at all. He probably went to Dumbledore after all of this and begged him for shelter from Azkaban. That's exactly what the coward would do."

"Harry, I know what it seems like but think about it. It kind of makes sense. There was always a lot of information coming into the headquarters that no one knew where it was coming from. Dumbledore would just say something and we would all assume it came from an unknown source. It makes sense that Draco would have been that source." Hermione said, trying to reason with him.

"Ok maybe he was the spy," Harry said dejectedly. "But that is no reason for you to marry him."

"Harry's right Hermione," Ginny said. "Dumbledore can find someone else to get married. It's not like you're the only one in the Golden Trio. There's also Harry." Hermione noticed how Ginny was very careful to avoid saying Ron's name, and for that she was thankful.

"It wouldn't be the same. For one, you aren't exactly associated with the 'dark' side Ginny. And Harry marrying anyone else is absolutely out of the question."

"What if Ro-" Harry started, but was silenced by a single glare from Ginny.

"Harry it's the only way. You see it every day on your way to the Ministry. It's still chaos out there. The kind of people I see each day are all so broken. Every single one of them still fear that the world is going to collapse the minute someone like Voldemort arises again. If that were to happen, do you have any idea just how bad it would be? The world needs to be united before something like that happens so that it has a chance of fighting it off. And it's not only that. If we want some chance in becoming whole again, we need this. We need this unity to show the world that we can survive this aftermath." Hermione explained.

"But it's not fair," Harry started. He wrapped his arms around Hermione and brought her into a tight embrace. "Hermione, if you want I can talk to Dumbledore. Ask him if there was a way that this unity could wait a little while. It's not fair for you to jump into an entire commitment right after your engagement just was broken off. It's not like it's a small one either. It's an entire marriage, with children. That's a lot for two people to get into, especially when love isn't involved. I know that the two of you may grow to love each other, but until then what happens? Do you guys live in the same house? Are you expected to get along? 'Mione you need to not only be able to fool an entire nation, but the entire world; can you do that?"

"I don't know," she whispered into his chest. "I've only loved one man, and I gave that my all. Look where that got me; all alone and unloved. How am I supposed to pretend to love a man who made my life miserable when I don't even know how to let go of the past?"

Harry stroked her hair and allowed for a few more tears to flow down her face. He wiped them away tenderly and looked over at Ginny. He had no idea how Hermione was handling it. If it was him this was happening to then there's no way he would be this selfless. The one thing about Hermione that stood out far above the rest of her amazing qualities was her selflessness. It was her greatest strength; she was always giving back to those who had less than her. She worked at St. Mungo's and put in more than her fair share of extra hours. It was probably why her selflessness was also her greatest weakness. For Hermione would do anything for the happiness of others, even if it meant she herself would be unhappy.

"Hermione, you know me and Harry will always be here for you right? Anytime you need a place to escape to, our place is always open. Anytime you want somewhere to stay, you can come here," Ginny said.

Hermione smiled at her friends. After the war Ginny and Harry had moved into a small but comfortable house in Godric's Hollow. Both of them worked in the Ministry as Aurors and spent most of their time rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. She was happy for them, they had always been there for her no matter what was happening.

"Hermione, if you have to accept this, then know one thing. If that _ferret_ hurts you in any way, then I will hunt him down and capture his sorry ass. I will then tell the Ministry of Magic that he is indeed a Death Eater, and I am quite sure they will believe me. I will then make sure personally that he is placed in a high security cell where the Dementors always drain more than happiness out of the prisoners. And you make sure you tell him that," Harry said threateningly.

"Thanks Harry," Hermione said with a smile.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Ginny asked. "You can stay the night if you wish."

"I'm afraid I can't. Dumbledore wants me and Malfoy to spend the day getting to know each other," Hermione said with a frown.

"Make sure you give him my warning," He reminded.

Hermione stepped in the fireplace and grabbed a handful of flow powder. "Will do, and thanks a lot for everything you guys. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Don't worry about it 'Mione, we love having you over," Ginny said with a smile.

And then Hermione vanished into the green smoke.

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A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I'll try to get out at least one chapter each day


	4. Draco's Thoughts

**Chapter 4**

*Flashback*

The room was dark with a few lit candles. That's how Voldemort preferred his meeting areas. It was in the shrieking shack. The place was reported to be haunted, and from the scratches on the wall he could almost believe it. The closest he had gotten to the place was in 3rd year, and had never once returned.

"Kneel before me Draco as I tell you your task," said a cold harsh voice.

Draco felt a cool chill rush through his body at the sound. He would not be afraid. He would not give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear on his face. He knew his mother was here with him and would not let anything happen to him, but when compared to Voldemort, she was powerless.

He had never felt so miserable. His father had recruited him as a Death Eater a few months back. Draco never even had the chance to say no. His father wouldn't allow it, and Draco could not say otherwise.

"Yes my lord," Draco said with a shaking voice.

"I have great faith in you. You will perform the task that those before have failed to do. And once you succeed, you will bring great pride to your family and restore their wrong doings."

"My lord, I am yours to command," Draco said, this time with a steadier voice.

"Good boy. Your task is to kill Dumbledore."

*end of flashback*

He sat in a small corner of the library, perched up on a window sill and stared out the window as he sat deep in thought. He pushed away the memory from his mind. He had spent hours upon hours pondering over the night that his life had changed. There were always so many what ifs. What if his mother had not sought him out afterwards? What if Dumbledore did not help him? What if someone had found out about his treason?

He never imagined that when he went to meet Dumbledore today that he would be forced into a marriage. He knew it was the only way that the people of the world would see him as a decent person. If Hermione saw he was good, then everyone else would have to believe it as well.

But at the same time it was Granger. There was no way he would ever be able to love her. It wasn't just because he had bullied her at school, but also because he had never actually loved someone. Sure he had plenty of flings with girls like Pansy at school, but it never meant a single thing.

He would have to get her pregnant. Oh Merlin. It wasn't she was not pretty; after all, Draco did already establish that she was beautiful. Would she even allow him to touch her?

He wondered if Potter knew the about the agreement. They were close through school and the war; practically inseparable, like brother and sister. If she and Weasel had split up for some reason, then had Potter chosen a side? He hoped that Hermione still had him for comfort her through all her pain.

Oh great, now he would have to put up with Potter too, in addition to everything else he had to go through.

Draco simply hated his father at times like these. Even though he was locked away, Lucius still somehow found a way to make his life miserable. He saddened at the thought of his father and unconsciously rubbed a part of his body covered off by clothing. He would never be able to forgive his father nor did he ever want to.

Draco laughed mirthlessly. He was still left to pay for his father's arrogance and pride. No one would ever care that he had helped out in the war, not when his father was a Death Eater. It didn't matter to them that he had saved countless lives with his information while risking his own; not when thousands still died. To them, he was as much to blame as Voldemort.

"Draco, sweetheart is there something on your mind? You haven't left that spot since you returned home," called out a voice. Draco turned around and saw his mother enter the room.

He sighed. How would he be able to explain this to her? He hated hurting her, and he knew that if he were to tell her why it was that he must marry her, that it would break her heart.

"Mother, there is something that I must tell you," Draco started before hesitating. No, he would have to make something up.

"What is it Draco?" she asked tenderly.

"Mother, there is a girl."

"A girl? Oh thank Merlin. I was starting to wonder if perhaps you might bend the other way," she said with a pointed look.

"Mother! I am not gay! Just because I have not said anything to you does not mean that I do not like girls. In fact, there is one I want for you to meet." Draco was appalled at his mother's suggestion. _Gay_? Him? He was known as the Slytherin Prince for a reason; many girls bestowed that name upon him.

"Alright, alright, you're not gay, now who is this girl you wish for me to meet?" Draco noticed how his mother could barely hide the excitement in her voice.

"It's Hermione mother."

"Hermione, as is Hermione Granger? My son and her?"

Draco feared for a moment that his mother would go onto a little rant about blood purity and how once he marries Granger that the entire Black and Malfoy line would forever be soiled with impure blood. He knew he should have just kept it a secret. Now he was going to be told that he was a disgrace and blah blah blah. It was nothing he hadn't heard before, but he had expected better from her.

"My son is involved with a girl, and she happens to be one of the biggest war heroes there is right now. Could this be any better? First I find out my son isn't gay, and then I find out that he has a girlfriend who also happens to be one of the most desirable women in the world. Oh this is just wonderful."

He rolled his eyes. He should have known that his mother would say that. It was never his mother who cared about blood purity.

"When can I meet her?" his mother asked after calming down.

"I'll ask her tomorrow after our date."

His mother practically skipped out of the room.

He sighed. What would he tell Hermione? He only hoped that she would understand why he had said that they were dating. He stood up and decided to head to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day.

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A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews, I'll do my best to update frequently.


	5. The First Date

**Chapter 5**

Hermione stared at her watch for the hundredth time since she arrived at small café in Diagon Alley. He was late. She sighed; was this how her new relationship was going to be? She took a sip of the warm butterbeer in front of her. Dumbledore had wanted them to go on this date so that they could get to know them better, but Hermione knew that there was more to it than that. He wanted the wizarding world to see the two of them together, so that when they announced their engagement it would not be a large surprise to society.

She watched as Draco sauntered in through the door without a single look of regret at his tardiness. How typical of him. He pulled out a chair as he ordered the staff for some firewhisky. They brought it around immediately, which left Hermione speechless. She had to wait a good ten minutes to even get service. Stupid ferret.

"Malfoy," she greeted coolly, "How nice of you to finally join me." She felt a flash of annoyance flow through her and made sure it showed on her face.

"Granger, that might not be the most appropriate name to call me, since very soon it shall be your name as well," Draco said with a smirk planted upon his face. He knew that his comment would annoy her, which is exactly why he said it. Even through school he had enjoyed getting a rise out of her. It seemed that nothing had changed from those days.

Hermione hid the disgust she felt on the inside by taking another sip of her drink. "Then what should I call you, ferret?" she asked sarcastically. Draco let out a scowl at the mention of that incident.

"Seeing that we are supposed to get the public to believe you love me you should call me Draco."

"What, and they do not need to believe that you love me?" she asked, feeling annoyed at his arrogance. Was this really going to be a one sided thing? Draco better not make her out to be yet another girl who was throwing themselves at him. If he did not put in the effort she would go straight to Dumbledore and withdraw her acceptance of the deal.

"You see, I unlike you am a great actor. I can fool people into believing whatever I choose for them to believe." She rolled her eyes at his statement.

"Are you saying that I am not? I assure you _Draco_ I am quite capable of acting." Hermione spat his name out. It felt so strange, almost foreign to use it. She never thought she would see the day where she used his first name to address him.

"Well Granger, you must have some skills to put up with Scarface and Weasel so much. So I suppose I'll give you a bit of credit." He noticed that at the mention of Ron's name, Hermione cringed slightly. He also saw how she sat up straighter in an attempt to hide it.

She scoffed. "If I must address you by your name, then you shall address me by mine." She said. She stared at him, waiting for him to find a way out of it, like he did so well.

Draco didn't take the bait. Instead he chose to surprise her. "Fine Hermione, if that is what you wish. Now love, tell me what you wish to do today." He noticed the small smile on her face when he called her 'Hermione'. But once again she tried to hide it before he saw; too bad she wasn't that good at hiding.

"Well I suppose we can get to know each other, you know, like the little things no one else knows about each other."

"Oh how original, then what do you wish to do? We could go take a trip to Paris after, how about that?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"What do you prefer that we just go into this marriage without knowing a single thing about the other person? I'm sure that will go amazingly well. I don't need to try to get along with you, you know? I could just show up on our wedding day and then live with you without as much as saying a single word to you. I just thought it would be more appealing if we at least go along. No one said we need to be friends, let alone fall in love." Hermione knew that this wouldn't be easy but she had forgotten just how much he infuriated her.

Draco let out a small sigh. "Fine Granger, we can try and get along if it makes you happy. What do you want to know? Ask and I shall tell you."

"Why did you agree to this?" She asked curiously. She knew that he needed to show the world that he was good, but there are many ways he could have done that.

"Honestly? Well I know that I needed the world to see that I'm not my father's son. I wanted them to see me as they person who I am, and not who they expect me to be. And I know that the world is starting to accept that, even if it is slowly." He said pausing. "I go a job the other day, at the aurors office. It took Dumbledore to explain to them that I was really a semi-decent person, but they accepted and gave it to me. And if by marrying you, I can make up for my father's crimes and show the world that not all Malfoys are bad, then I will."

"So it wasn't because you have been in love with me from the moment you first saw me?" Hermione teased with a smirk on her face.

At her remark Draco smiled genuinely. "Ah Granger, you caught on did you? Well the truth is, I am madly in love with you." Draco told her solemnly.

His face held his composure for about thirty seconds before he burst out into laughter. Hermione couldn't help but laugh back.

"You know they're staring at us right?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence.

"Who them?" Draco asked after pointing to a bunch of people staring at them as they walked by.

"Yes. I can practically feel their stares drilling through me." She said.

"Does it bother you to have people see you with me?" Draco asked. He was partially afraid of her answer. On one hand, it didn't bother him what she thought of him, but on the other he didn't want her to be embarrassed to be with him.

"No, I guess not. But you know what we should do?" She asked as she caressed his hand on the table, tracing it with her fingers. "We should give them a show to enjoy."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. It was extremely cocky for her, and Draco liked this side to her. He scooted his chair closer to her and put his arm around her as he began to play with her hair. "Like this?" he asked as he whispered in her ear.

Hermione felt a chill run through her body at the touch of his lips on her ear. He began to nuzzle his lips on her neck as she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "Yes, exactly like that." She looked up and saw the same people who were staring earlier with their mouths open in shock. Instead of whispering with a rude tone, she saw them giggle and whisper. She smiled, knowing that it would be all over page 3 of the Daily Prophet the next morning.

"Want to give them a little more to gossip about?" Draco asked.

Hermione's eyes widened at the suggestion. Before she could ask what he had in mind, she felt his lips upon hers. They were soft and tender, and his kiss was completely full of passion. She did not expect it to be like this. When she tried to imagine kissing Draco she thought he would be like Ron was; aggressive and demanding. But unlike Ron, Draco was gentler. He allowed her to go at her own pace.

He pulled away suddenly leaving Hermione glaring at him. "Well I think that was quite enough don't you?" he asked as he got up. He extended out his arm toward her and helped her up.

Oh how he infuriated her.


	6. The Date Continues

**Chapter 6**

Draco watched as she followed him out of the café. That kiss had completely taken him by surprise. He had never in a million years thought that he would kiss her. And it wasn't merely the fact that he kissed her that left him so shocked. It was the fact that the kiss was so passionate and consuming. If he hadn't pulled away when he had, Draco wasn't sure what would have happened next.

It wasn't that he had any feelings for her. In fact, the only feeling he felt was a slight gratitude. He didn't hate her as he did while they were in school, but they weren't exactly friends either. No, that kiss didn't mean anything; it was purely for the audience that they had. He knew that it would sound like he was in denial if he ever told Blaise about it, but it truly wasn't. He groaned at the thought of Blaise finding out. He had been so smug once Draco had told him about the unity; there was no way he would let this go anytime soon.

"Why was Hermione so quiet?" he thought suddenly. He turned to face her. She looked tired; all those hours at the hospital must be wearing her down. He would have to talk to her, or at least talk to Potter into getting her to work less. It also got him thinking about something else. Would she still continue to work after they got married? Draco knew he would be fine with whatever she chose to do, but still hoped she didn't work too hard. They did need to start a family together after all.

He took her hand, and when she looked at him in surprise he looked in the direction of the new audience that they had. Once she saw, she quickly changed her expression.

"Let's go around the alley," Hermione said without giving him a chance to decide otherwise. And off they went, attracting attention all over.

Together they spend the rest of the afternoon going through the city. The stopped by bookstores, where he would try and find a book that she hadn't read, but always failed miserably. They went around to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, where Hermione as a joke tried slipping him a love potion. In retaliation, he scared her by replacing her wand with one that turns into a mouse. While Hermione's plan failed miserably, Draco's worked like a charm and caused her to jump straight into his arms. After she noticed where she was, she pushed him off and gave him a glare. Draco began to tickle her, and the glare turned into laughter. The pair stopped by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, which opened up again once the war had ended. There Draco had accidently knocked over her ice cream and allowed her to share his. That ended on him placing the ice cream on her face, and her punching him playfully after he kissed it off.

After visiting several more shops, the two of them began to tire down. They had gained much attention that afternoon, but neither of them had noticed much. Instead, they had enjoyed each other's company. They had done what neither of them thought could be possible; got along.

"So what does my lady wish to do next?" he asked with a smile. Draco had to admit that he had a great time; probably better than any he had in a long time.

"I'll let you chose," Hermione said. While she may have looked exhausted, she still wanted to get to know him further. She was a bit surprised at how different he was compared to how she thought she would be. She had a great time, and had not once thought about Ron, although Draco had tried once to ask her about it. When she turned away from the subject, he let it go without any further questioning.

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure if you will like it," Draco said hesitantly. "I told my mother about you last night, and she wanted to meet you, is that okay?" He was nervous that Hermione would say no. After all, she had been held hostage at the Manor and tortured by his aunt and father. She did not show any thought of the incident on her face when she replied.

"Sure," Hermione said with a smile. She was curious to see how Narcissa was like when Lucius wasn't around to control her every action and word. Hopefully it would be a nice change from what she had experience previously.

"There's just one thing I need to tell you first," Draco said. "She doesn't know that what we have in a unity, or that we have to get married. She thinks that we are dating and have real feelings for each other."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Hermione asked curiously. It didn't bother her that he hadn't, she just wondered why.

"It would break her heart," he said simply. "If she knew what I go through most days because of my father then it would probably kill her. She never wanted me to be responsible for his poor judgement. So instead, I chose to only tell her the high things about my life. She doesn't need to know that people don't trust me, or that most hate me. She's a lot better off thinking that people have forgiven my family. And it's not like they haven't; the world is slowly coming around."

Hermione felt her heart warm at his concern for his mother. It was one of the first times since she had known him that he cared for someone who was not himself.

"Sure, let's go meet her. And if I can manage to get your mother into thinking I'm in love with you, then the rest of the world shall be easy in comparison to make believe," she said. One look at Draco's face told her that she had said the right thing.

The smile on Draco's face could not be measured.


	7. Meeting Draco's Mother

**A/N: **Hey guys, I tried to make this chapter a little longer than the previous ones to give you guys a little more to read.

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**Chapter 7**

Draco wrapped his arm around her waist which took her by surprise. Before she could protest, Draco had apparated them both.

Hermione stared at the large Manor in front of her. She remembered the last time that she had been there and felt a wave of grief flood over her. She had tried as hard as she could to forget the incident, but every so often it still caught up with her. Subconsciously, she felt her hand rush to her arm, where there was still a slight trace of the word 'mudblood' written on her.

At that moment Draco seemed to notice her action and wrapped an arm over her protectively. He looked into her eyes and whispered to her, "I'm sorry for that Hermione. I tried as hard as I could to get my parents to believe it wasn't you. And when that failed, I sent an owl to Aberforth, telling him to use the mirror. I should have been quicker though, then I could have prevented all the pain you went through."

Hermione noticed how his voice was full of regret when he talked, and knew he was being genuine. She leaned into him, and together they began walking towards the house.

As soon as they entered the house, Hermione found herself staring in awe. Draco must have remodelled the place after his father's arrest. The house had always had the potential to be beautiful, but now it was absolutely gorgeous. The walls sparkled and were decorated with paintings and heirlooms of all sorts. But unlike last time, none of them shouted words of disgust at her. This time, they all greeted her and Draco cordially.

She looked over at Draco and saw him watching her with a smile. "What do you think of your future home?" He asked her.

She touched his cheek with her palm. "It's absolutely beautiful," she murmured.

"Hello Miss Granger," a voice called out. Hermione looked up to see Narcissa Malfoy descend down the stairs both quickly and gracefully. As soon as she reached her, Narcissa pulled her into a small hug, before observing her.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione spoke politely. To be honest, she was nervous out of her mind. Not counting Draco, Hermione had two boyfriends her entire life, and she still wasn't sure whether Viktor counted. Mrs. Weasley had loved her right away, but what if Narcissa didn't? The women standing before her, was drop dead gorgeous. Even in her middle age, she still looked like she could be no more than thirty at the most.

"My dear, you have grown up since I saw you last," Narcissa said, then quickly stopped herself from elaborating. Hermione knew she was talking about the time she was here. Narcissa quickly changed the subject. "Hermione, Draco would you too like to eat some dinner? I had the elves make some food in case you were hungry."

Before Hermione could protest, Draco spoke out and agreed. Together, the three of them headed toward the dining room. There, like the rest of the house, was a room that was fit for royalty. Unlike the previous room, there weren't any paintings, but a long table that could fit at least fifty people. From the ceiling was a chandelier dangling down gracefully. On the table was a meal similar to one at Hogwarts during a special occasion. This was the life she would be marrying into shortly.

After they had all sat down and began eating, Narcissa spoke again. "Tell me sweetheart," she said addressing Hermione, "How did the two of you meet? Draco wasn't specific in the details when he told me about you."

At the last part Hermione gave Draco a playful glare. "Well Mrs Malfoy, I can tell you that Draco was quite the gentleman," she started. Hermione had no idea where she was going with this tale and hoped that it would turn into a decent story. She saw Draco play around with his food nervously as she spoke. "You see, it was just after the war had ended, and I began my post at St. Mungo's. There I was working, trying to heal those that the war had affected in some way. Right after my shift, I was hurrying along in Diagon Alley, trying to get home before it started raining. I wasn't sure it would, but the clouds above me showed that a storm was brewing heavily, and the last thing I wanted was to be caught in it. It turned out that my instincts were right, as a few short minutes later the rain began to pour down. Very few people were on the streets at that time you see, for they had already gone inside. So I ran into the nearest store possible, which just happened to be a book store. As I went inside, I heard a drying spell being cast, and then the next thing I knew I was completely dry. I turned around to see who else was in the store with me, for it seemed to be completely deserted minus the storeowner." Hermione paused to effect to her story. She saw Narcissa and Draco staring at her. Narcissa seemed be hooked onto the story, and Draco looked at her curious to see where it was exactly that she was going with this story.

She continued the story. "I turned around to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing behind me. It was the first time I had seen him since the war and to my uttermost surprise, he had matured heavily. Before he was simply a boy, but now I saw a man before me. The rain didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon, and after working my shift I was far too tired to apparate. I remember him speaking to me. At first it was like two strangers talking to each other, but after a while it was more like close friends. After the rain let up, he walked me back to my flat. Before he left, he asked me if I wanted to go get dinner with him. He was nervous, and I knew that if I said no that I would most likely regret it. So I told him I would, and as he turned to leave, I kissed him lightly on the cheek. You should have seen the smile on his face at that point."

Narcissa clapped her hand over her mouth. "That was probably the sweetest thing I have ever heard," she cried out happily. Hermione looked over at Draco. He had a look of relief on his face because his mother believed the story. Hermione smiled, pleased with herself.

**~DM&HG~**

Draco watched his mother and Hermione talking together. The two of them seemed to be getting along like two peas in a pod. Hermione was acting quite well every time a question came up concerning their relationship. Draco felt himself wishing that it could be real. He wanted his mother to approve of a girl that he was in love with, instead of one that he was pretending to love for the sake of unity.

They had finished eating a few hours ago, and the clock on the wall showed that it was getting quite late. He knew that it was getting rather late for the two of them, as they both had work in the morning.

"Hermione love, we should get you home. You do need to work tomorrow after all," Draco said to her. She glanced over at the clock and then Draco helped her out of her chair.

"It was so nice to meet you Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said genuinely.

"Please dear, call me Narcissa," his mother said with a laugh. Draco knew that his mother, like every other witch and wizard, found Hermione to be charming.

Draco gave her a quick peck on the cheek before the two of them apparated outside of Hermione's flat.

"Thank you for everything Hermione. It means a lot that you tried to get her approval," Draco told her sincerely. "I know it wasn't easy for you to go back there today, so thank you so much."

Hermione smiled at him. "Don't worry about it Draco, I'm glad your mother liked me." She unlocked her door hesitating before going inside. She gave him a quick hug, as well as a peck on the lips before rushing inside and closing the door.

Draco was left staring speechless at the door.

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**A/N**: Thank you guys so much for the reviews, they are all so nice to read


	8. The Argument and the Memory

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm going to be away tomorrow, so I'm posting this right now.

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**Chapter 8**

Draco went over to her flat the next day after work. The two of them decided that they could get to know each other a little better before they publicly confirmed their relationship. Sure enough in the Daily Prophet were pictures of the two of them on their date. And it was not only in there, it was also in Witch Weekly and the Wizarding Inquirer. Several front page rumours had upraised; one saying that Hermione was pregnant with Draco's child while still engaged to Ronald Weasley. Others claimed that she was using him to get the famous Harry Potter jealous. Draco scoffed at these rumours.

He knocked on the door to her flat, and a few seconds later, the door opened up. Hermione had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was wearing a skirt and a simple blouse. Draco looked around her house as she stepped back into the kitchen to finish up the meal.

It was a simple place, but it was very sophisticated in what it contained. Across the far wall was a bookshelf with probably about a hundred or so books. Draco examined the titles and found that it not only contained wizarding content but also some muggle books as well. Some of titles stood out to him, such as The Tales of Beetle the Bard.

Across the room was a corner full of photographs on the wall. Draco walked over and began looking at them. There were several of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. In most of them, Hermione was smiling playfully and in the middle of them both. But there was one that stood out to him especially. One look at it sent an odd sensation through his body, one that he had never felt before. What was this feeling; annoyance, anger, resentment? He removed the picture gently from the wall and walked toward the kitchen where Hermione was still in. She hadn't moved on, and for some reason, that angered him heavily.

_~DM&HG~_

Hermione stirred the pot once more before getting a spoon to get a taste. She had gotten the recipe from Mrs. Weasley that morning. She wanted everything to be perfect, just as it had been the night before. She brought the spoon up to her mouth, blowing on it to cool it down, and then took a bite. Mmm, Mrs. Weasley's recipes were always so delicious. Hopefully Draco thought the same thing.

She did not know why she wanted it to be so perfect, but for the first time in a while, she felt happy. And she wanted to retain that feeling for as long as possible. Who knew that Draco Malfoy would be the one who gave her that feeling? A part of her was sad it hadn't worked out with Ron, but on the other hand, she was glad that it hadn't.

She heard Draco walk towards the kitchen. "I'll be done in a moment," she called out. The footsteps still came closer. She turned to face him and saw a pained look on his face. "What is it?" she asked him.

Draco held up the picture for her to see. Hermione bit her lip. She knew she should have spent more time cleaning her apartment up; then she would have been able to remove the picture. She glanced at it and saw her and Ron dancing in each other's arms. It was the night that he had proposed to her. Right after she accepted, Ron had pulled her into a deep kiss; and now Draco had seen that.

"Do you still love him?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Saw no Hermione," she thought to herself, but before she could, a wave of painful memories overtook her mind

"_Come on Hermione, just give in. One night, it won't do any harm"_

"_No means no, accept that Ron"_

"_You're going to be my bloody wife," he growled. "It's time you gave in to my demands."_

"_I have to work in the morning."_

"_You should just quit now, it's not like you will still be working after we get married anyways."_

"_I will do no such thing!" Hermione yelled as she stormed out of the room_

_Hermione unlocked the door after a long day at work. It had been a while since she saw Ron last. She didn't want to see him after what happened once he stormed into her office, but he loved her so it would be alright. He had been so angry about the previous night when she said no. Besides, the entire thing was her fault was it not? If only she gave into him, then he wouldn't feel the need to- She stopped before she could think of it again, and wiped the tear that flooded down her face. But nothing, nothing would have been able to have prepared her for the sight she saw when she entered the flat._

Hermione started shaking at the memory. She had tried so hard, taken so many sleeping draughts to try and make the memory go away. But once again, it plagued her. She covered herself with her arms, partially afraid that Draco would be able to see what he had done to her. But of course he had no way of knowing.

"Do you still love him?" Draco repeated, this time more forcefully. Hermione saw a glint of anger flash by his eyes, the same kind that Ron always had before he would- Hermione started crying, she thought for sure he was going to hit her, just as Ron had. This seemed to frustrate Draco, as he took her crying to be confirmation.

"You stupid _slag,_" he hissed. "How in the bloody hell do you expect to go into this marriage if you still love that weasel? Bravo you stupid witch, you managed to convince half the world you love me, when all you want is to shag that arse."

"Don't." Hermione said closing her eyes.

"Don't what, call him an arse? I shall call him whatever the bloody hell I want to. Here you had me convinced that he somehow hurt you, but he didn't did he? I bet all he did was break off the engagement once he finally saw how stupid you were." Draco knew that he was pushing it too far, especially with that last comment, but he couldn't stop himself. He felt so much anger towards the weasel that he wasn't sure what would happen next.

Hermione seemed to regain a little of her nerve. "You insufferable man. If only you knew, but it's not like you would care now would you? After all, you're a Malfoy; you lot only care for yourself and your stupid pureblood name, now don't you? I bet it's killing you inside, that you have to marry a mudblood. But don't worry, I'll go see Dumbledore first thing tomorrow morning and tell him to call of the bloody marriage. That's what you want isn't it? I'll marry some other stupid pureblood, so don't worry, you can save your face."

That hit Draco in the gut. He couldn't show it of course, that was not what Draco Malfoy did. "Good, finally you'll be doing something right." And with that Draco apparated out of her house and left Hermione on the floor crying.

If only she had remembered to get rid of that ruddy picture.

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**A/N: **I know that what happened with Ron still might not make complete sense, but trust me, I'm going to have Hermione elaborate about it all later on. And some parts may be a bit OOC but I need it to be that way for the story to flow well.


	9. A Little Interference

**Chapter 9**

"Hermione, I swear if you don't open the door right now, I will break it down!" Harry shouted. Hermione had locked herself into her house, not allowing a single soul to enter. She hadn't responded to a single one of Harry or Ginny's multiple owls asking how it had went. Finally she sent a single owl with the words "Leave me alone!" scribbled. The words were partially blurred out by tears. As soon as he had seen the reply, Harry and Ginny apparated straight outside her door; they had tried to apparated inside, but she had cast an anti-apparating spell over the place.

"Go away Harry," a muffled voice came from inside. Harry could tell she was still crying and felt his heart ache. Hermione was like his sister, and anyone who hurt her would have to face his wrath. That also included Ron.

Ginny had gone to go find Draco. Harry hadn't stopped her; personally he thought it was better for Malfoy's safety if she had gone instead of him.

"Hermione, you know me by now. I'm stubborn and not going to go anywhere, so you might as well open the door." He heard her sigh softly, and the next thing he knew the door had opened and he was face to face with Hermione. Her eyes were swollen red and her hair was completely a mess. Harry felt like he was going to be ripped apart because of the pain he felt. The anger he had toward Draco just kept escalating by the second.

"What did that ferret do to you?" Harry whispered before pulling her into a tight hug. Hermione sobbed into his chest, and Harry just held her.

It had taken Harry a good ten minutes to get her to stop crying. The last time he had seen her like this was after Ron had left her shattered in pieces. Ron was still Harry's friend, but since he saw all the horrid things he had done to her, they had never quite been the same. He could never understand how someone he had known for so long could still be someone he barely knew. When he first heard what Ron had done, he thought it was a sick joke. But the bruises on her body stated otherwise.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Harry asked her softly. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. He felt a few more wet tears stream down her face and decided it was best to wait for her to stop crying before he asked her anything.

Hermione took a deep breath in and told him what had happened. Harry watched her face all while she told the story. He came to the conclusion that most of her pain came from remembering what Ronald had done to her, and also from Draco getting the wrong idea. But to his utter surprise, none of it was from him calling her a 'slag' or a 'mudblood'. Could it be that Hermione was slowly falling for Draco without even realising it?

**~DM&HG~**

"Malfoy, what in the name of Merlin's bloody pants did you do to Hermione?" Ginny shouted out at him. They were in a part of the house where his mother would not be able to hear what was happening. When Ginny first apparated into the house, she could have sworn when she first saw him, he looked upset by whatever happened between him and Hermione.

"I don't know what you're talking about Weaselette," he said hissing at her. She rolled her eyes at him. He was really getting soft if he hadn't once insulted her since her arrival. Ginny had yet to figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

"Well obviously you do, unless Hermione has been bawling her eyes out for the past several hours because of another douche bag." Ginny hadn't missed the fact that his face looked pained after she mentioned Hermione crying.

"It's not like I didn't tell her anything that wasn't true. She can't handle the truth, and when someone finally told it to her, she broke down," Malfoy spoke after a pause.

"What. Did you. Say," Ginny said, spitting out each word. Hermione had always been a big sister to her. Coming from a family with only brothers, it was a huge difference to have someone around that you could talk to about girl things. And now that ferret had hurt her.

"I told her the truth. I told her she was still in love with Ron Weasel and that there was no way our marriage would work if she went out like a slag with him, then there is absolutely no chance anyone will believe our marriage," Draco said bitterly. It looked like it pained him heavily to say those words. Could it be that Draco was falling for Hermione without even realising it? Ginny felt herself laugh at that thought. Those two were far too different for them to ever have romantic feelings towards each other. They would be lucky if they could even get along long enough to make people believe that they were in love with one another.

Ginny gawked at him. "How could you say that to her? That is as far from the truth as you could possibly get! Maybe Hermione still has remnants of feelings towards Ron, but she does not love him. And about her being a slag? I swear Malfoy, you are so oblivious sometimes. Does Hermione look like the kind of girl who sleeps around?" By the end of that little speech, Ginny was practically yelling at the top of her lungs out at him.

When Ginny told Draco that, she saw alarm flood across his face. "Good," she thought, "He better feel ashamed of what he had done." As if poor Hermione had not enough to feel pain over; she definitely did not need to add this to her list.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked her sharply.

"Maybe you should ask her why it is that she and Ron broke up. I think you will find that you made a grave mistake in what you had told her."

The shock of the possibility of him being wrong showed up on his face, but it wasn't until a moment later that he realised what that meant on his part. "Oh merlin," Draco whispered. "I need to go find her." And with that he apparated, leaving Ginny staring at the spot where he had once stood.


	10. Hermione's Story

**Chapter 10**

Draco apparated straight to her flat and saw her wrapped up in Potter's arms. If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed the worst of the situation and chewed her out. Neither of them had seen him come in. No, he couldn't tell her he was here yet; he needed some sort of item with him to reinforce his apology. He quickly summoned some flowers and chocolates; it was cliché, even for him, but what else could he do?

"Hermione?" He called out uncertainly. The two of them turned around, and both wore different expressions. Harry looked absolutely murderous; Draco was beyond thankful that it was Ginny who had gone after him and not Harry. If it was, then he could be rest assured that his funeral would be occurring at this very moment. But Hermione on the other hand looked sad. Her eyes were still red and the tears were still fresh upon his face. He had caused this, and he knew that he needed to make it up to her.

"Why are you back here?" she asked in a broken voice.

"I need to apologise to you," Draco said before giving her both the flowers and the chocolate. He saw a small flicker of a smile cross her face before vanishing again.

"I'll leave you two alone, but Hermione if he hurts you, you know where to find me," Harry said with a threatening look upon his face.

"Hermione, it was wrong of me to jump to that conclusion about you. I never should have assumed that you loved him and wished you could be with him. You have no idea how much I wish I could go back and unsay all those horrid things that I said to you," Draco said sincerely.

"No, it's my fault," Hermione started to say, but Draco cut her off before she could provide insight as to why she thought such a thing.

"No Hermione, it's not."

The two of them were silent for a little while. He took this time to observe her, as she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Draco," she said with a whisper. "I want to tell you what happened, if we are to get married then we shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

He was shocked. He was certain that at any given time she would kick him out of the house completely and keep her promise about seeing Dumbledore. But he knew that she was correct in believing that they needed to open up to each other. They both knew that this was not a marriage they would be able to get out of once it had become official. Even at the Ministry Draco was surprised at just how much separation there was between everybody, not just the "light and dark" but also the pure and the 'impure'.

He sighed; it meant that he would have to open up to her as well. Other than Blaise, there was not a single person alive who knew everything about him. "You're right Hermione."

She was quiet for a few minutes, and he knew that she needed that time before she could open up to him. Whatever she had gone through must have been tough on her.

"Ron and I always had our differences at Hogwarts, and everyone knew that. They all teased us, saying we would end up together. We never believed them of course, it seemed absolutely outrageous to us. We were just friends, and even that was a loose term at times. We got closer though, and during the war we fell for each other. Just something about being so isolated from everyone else and only having each other led us to become more joined."

Draco felt a twinge of confusion flow through him. What did any of this have to do with anything? It sounded like she wanted to get back with him over anything else.

"After the war was over, we were all overjoyed. I was offered a position as a Healer immediately and he became an Auror. During the midst of happiness, he proposed and I happily accepted. There was nothing else I wanted in the world, and thought that I was finally going to be able to get everything that I ever wanted."

Hermione paused briefly. "But as the days grew on, I found myself working more and more. I didn't need to, but I felt so guilty just leaving and going home when there were so many people out there who needed me. How could I abandon them? It just didn't seem right to me, to now that there were all those injured people and that I simply wanted to relax instead of helping. This put a strain on my relationship. You see Ron believed that since his mother stayed at home, that I would too. He wanted me to be a housewife and take care of the dozen children that he wanted to have. He wanted someone to always have a hot meal on the table when he got home and then rub his feet after while he told me about his day. But I didn't want that, I wanted to work."

"How could that weasel expect all that from her?" Draco thought to himself. He wanted to say something, to protest against what Ron believed, but he knew that he shouldn't interrupt her. So he remained quiet.

"It got worse and worse. He began pressuring me to quit my job and didn't like it when I said no. As a future wife I was meant to give into every single one of his desires, even the sexual ones."

"He made you sleep with him?" Draco couldn't help himself from bursting out. How dare that Weasel?

"He kept insisting on it. But that's not the kind of person I am. I wasn't ready for the consequences if something bad were to happen. And like I said, Ron didn't like to take no for an answer," at this Hermione rolled up her sleeves and showed Draco the scars across her body. They were dreadful. He knew that they were the kind that wouldn't disappear immediately. That they were the type to need a spell cast over them every hour and would fade away after several months.

"He tried again one night. But this time, he was more forceful. He began to undress, and fought off all my screams and cries of mercy. He was relentless, and told me that it was time that I learned my place in this world and as his fiancé. I was able to push him off long enough to apparate to Harry's house, where he comforted me," she said. Draco noticed that at his point she had begun to shake, and Draco knew that it would get worse from here.

"The next day at work he came into my office when I was on a short break. He was fuming mad. He pushed me into a chair and told me just how angry he was. Before I knew what he was doing, I found myself stunned in the chair. He began to hit me again, except this time was different. All these other bruises looked like mere scratches compared to what he was about to do. He kept pounded on me, and there was nothing I could do. Finally the spell wore off, and I shot a stinging curse at him. I remember him screaming out that I would be sorry before he left the office. I sat down in a corner and began to cry. I knew that I was wrong and that I was to blame. He wouldn't have to hit me if I just gave in and slept with him. He was to be my husband so I'd have to do what he said," she said, her voice growing quieter.

Draco felt the anger flow through his body. Not only had she been physically abused, but also almost sexually and mentally abused. He gritted his teeth. He was going to kill him.

"I knew I needed to apologise, so as soon as I got off work I went to our tiny flat. It was my fault, so I had to make it up to him. But when I opened the door to the apartment, I had the biggest shock of my life. All over the floor was Ron's clothing, but not just what he had been wearing today. There was also clothing from a female. I trembled as I walked to the bedroom, and once I got there I saw Ron and Pansy in bed together. When he saw me, all he had was a smirk on his face and said "told you". I ran out as fast as I could." By this point Hermione was full on crying.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and brought her into his chest. He may not like Hermione romantically, but that didn't prevent him for feeling the need to rip him apart.

The two of them sat there like that for a while before Draco finally said something. "I guess it's time you know my story now."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews and choosing to add this story to your favourites/watch list. I will update as much as possible. Thanks guys :) you're all lovely.


	11. What Happened With Draco

**A/N: **I wasn't planning on updating again today, but all of your lovely reviews convinced me otherwise. Thank you guys so much, you are truly amazing.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Hermione looked up at Draco. She felt so relieved to have finally told someone else about Ron. While Harry and Ginny had taken her side, they had known her for too long. They were the kind of people who would tell their friends whatever they needed to hear when they are feeling down, and because of that, she needed to know from someone else.

The abuse on Ron's part had been hard on her. Since he was her first real boyfriend, she had no idea how she was supposed to act and what she had to do. Ron had a way with words that always made you believe that he was right no matter who really was correct. He also had a tendency to make one feel completely guilty about something they were not at fault for. Saying that Ron acted quite childish at times would be an understatement.

_The two of them sat there like that for a while before Draco finally said something. "I guess it's time you know my story now."_

Draco was opening up to her. She hadn't expected that. Sure he was nice to her and all, but she could tell that he was very closed off as a whole. She bet that very few people actually knew Draco Malfoy. She lifted her head slightly from his chest so she would be able to look at him while he spoke.

"My father has always been tough on me. I know whenever we appeared in public we appeared to be on a united front, but it was anything from that. He used to make my life miserable," Draco said bitterly. "He would instill in my head from a young age all the things that one must know about being a Malfoy. You see, he didn't believe that words itself were enough of reinforcement, so he used to beat it into me. My mother used to beg and plead with him to stop, but whenever she tried he would just move on to beating her. I hated him, and trust me when I say I still do. I think the happiest moment in my life was when I found out that he was forever locked away in his cell to be tormented by Dementors."

Hermione felt sadness flow through her. So Draco knew what it was like to be hit as well. She felt herself move closer to him while she wrapped one of her arms around his waist. Her contact with Draco did not go unnoticed, but at the same time Draco pulled her closer to him.

"When I was 16 years old my father demanded that I got the mark. Mother tried to convince my father that there was plenty of time to get it once I had graduated from Hogwarts, but he was insistent. After that mishap at the Ministry, he found himself deep in hot water with Voldemort, and I was to be his redemption. Mother was there when I received the mission from him, and she pulled me aside immediately. You see Hermione, most people know just how accomplished my aunt is at Occlumency, but what very few people know about her is that she learned it from my mother. Mother is much more accomplished, but she is very successful in hiding it. She told me that she never wanted this life and held me tightly in her arms. She told me to go to Dumbledore and find some way around it."

Hermione looked up into his eyes and saw just how much he loved his mother. It was a side to him that she had never seen before and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She obviously felt happy about it, but there was also a feeling that was alien to her. It was all warm and fuzzy, and to be honest, she didn't know how she felt about whatever it was.

"When I went to Dumbledore, I could tell he was slightly guarded. He trusted me of course, but not enough right away to tell me that Snape was too on his side. I don't blame him of course, if I was a spy I would have given up his best asset. But eventually he did see that I was on his side. And we began to plot. Once Snape reached the tower he would silently cast a disillusion charm upon the headmaster and simultaneously I was to cast a mirror spell. What the Death Eaters saw that night was all an act, but they needed to believe it, as did Harry to show its legitimacy." Hermione had come to know most of this after the war when Dumbledore showed up at Hogwarts. He had secretly been plotting everything that happened from behind the scenes without anyone other than Snape and Draco knowing.

"After the war had begun I was forced to go back into pretending. I still helped Dumbledore whenever I could. I traced you guys to the forest so Severus knew where to place the sword. And when you came to the mansion, well you know most of that story. It was Dumbledore who suggested I contacted Aberforth to let him know to save you. He couldn't know it was me of course, so I led him to believe that I was one of you." Hermione did know. She knew that Draco had recognised both her and Ron right away and was able to guess that Harry was the one with the disfigured face. And she suspected something was up when he hesitated in confirming their presence in the room.

"After the Battle at Hogwarts begun I could not hide my loyalty. But I stayed for my mother's sake. I did not wish for her to pay for my account. But she took me aside once more and told me to go to the light and that she would take care of whatever consequences came her way. And the rest you know from there," Draco concluded with a small smile on his face.

"So now you know my story," He said.

Hermione took her hand and stroked his face. She lifted up his shirt to see all the ghastly spells Lucius had cast on Draco over the years.

"Why have you never gone to a Healer for these?" she inquired.

Draco looked down. "I didn't want many questions to be asked. I hate staring at them every day but it's better than having the whole world know."

Hermione drew out her wand and murmured a healing charm. The scars began to fade slightly but did not completely disappear. "I need to preform that spell each day on you for a little while," she told him quietly.

Draco smiled slightly at her and kissed her forehead lightly. "So now we know each other's deepest secrets. Can I presume safely that we can be called friends from this point?"

Hermione smiled at that. Friends, she liked that. She preferred she get married by choice and love, but given the circumstances, friendship was the next best thing.

"Friends."

* * *

**A/N: **I know the part about what happened during the HBP was way ooc, but I needed to throw it in there to show how Dumbledore was alive and how Draco was able to switch sides.


	12. Making it Public

**Chapter 12**

Hermione and Draco met the next day at Hogsmeade. The two of them decided that it was time to publicly announce their relationship, so between Dumbledore and Harry, they had arranged for them to be ambushed by reporters. Hermione knew that it made it seem a little self-centred, but people had been pestering Harry since the day their first outing.

They had gone to the Three Broomsticks to buy some drinks. Draco and Hermione chatted merrily and didn't notice how the time flew by. Hermione found that ever since they had opened up to each other, they had gotten along better than they ever could have imagined. If Hermione didn't know better, she would thing he almost knew her better than both Harry and Ginny. Obviously it couldn't be true, seeing that they had known her for way longer and knew basically every single detail about her, but it felt that way.

Draco went on to tell her all his favourite memories at Hogwarts, and Hermione loved the way that his face would light up at the simplest mention of things. When he had told her about the time he found Montague in the toilet. She remembered warmly the experience and told him in return how it was Fred and George who shoved him in there to begin with. Instead of spitting at the mention of the 'Blood Traitors', she watched him smile and laugh heartily.

They had been there for nearly two hours without even realising it. Finally Draco placed his hand upon hers and helped her out of her chair. When she gave him a questioning look, he gestured outside, where just as promised, several reporters were waiting to jump them with questions. Hermione sighed before they went outside to face the music.

"Hermione, how long have you been with Draco?"

*flash of camera*

"Draco, what does your father and mother think of you dating Hermione Granger? Not only was she one of the Golden Trio, but she also is a muggleborn. What does this mean for the purity of the Malfoy line?"

"Hermione, what happened between you and Ron?"

"Is it true you're only using him to get Harry to break up with Ginny for you?"

*flash of cameras*

And so the questions went. Draco wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him protectively.

"We shall answer one question at a time. Before I start let me answer some of your previous questions. We have been together for exactly two months now. We were seeing each other briefly before the war started, but had to separate. Now that it's over, we decided to reconcile our relationship. My mother wholeheartedly approves of my relationship and my father's approval does not matter. It doesn't matter to me what her blood status is. Blood doesn't matter me, and any person ought to know by now that Hermione is more powerful than many witches and wizards including those purebloods," Draco said. "I'll let Hermione answer the questions concerning her."

Hermione smiled at the crowd before beginning. "Ron and I went our separate ways almost immediately after the war ended. We just weren't compatible with each other. While there is a large stereotype about friends dating being the true romance, it just wasn't for us. We found that the two of were friends for way too long for it to be anything more. And moreover we wanted different things with our lives; things that make it hard to be in a relationship with one another." Hermione felt Draco's grasp around her tighten protectively as she spoke about Ron. It was weird to romanticize why the two of them hadn't worked out, but the public didn't need to know the deep details about it.

"And to those who believe I wish to have Harry for myself. I shall tell you the same things I did back in fourth year, as nothing has changed from that point. I care for Harry, but I am not in love with him. He has always been like a brother to me and every time I need him he has always been there for me. But in addition to that, Ginny is the sister that I always wished I could have had. And you have no idea how happy it makes me to find out that the two of them were able to get together."

*camera flashes*

Draco stared at Hermione with awe. While he was used to being in the public eye from a young age, he never thought that she would be so talented with dealing with the publicity. But then again, being the brightest witch of her age and a war hero was bound to give her much attention. He knew how hard it must have been for her to talk about Ron to the world without having them know what he was really like.

"Draco, what do you plan to do with yourself now the war is over?"

"I have been given a position at the Auror's office," Draco said. "I will be working side by side with some of the best wizards and witches of our age to capture the remaining Death Eaters."

A young witch came forward. Draco immediately recognised her as Parvati Patil. She was one of the largest gossips that Hogwarts had to offer and felt a bit of worry flow through him.

"Hermione, can you attest to Draco's identity as a spy during the war?" She asked. "I seem to recall the two of you constantly arguing and down each other's throats. So how was it that the two of you came to fall for each other?"

Hermione did not hesitate in answering this question. "I am not going to deny the fact that Draco and I didn't always get along in school. In fact one may even say that we hated each other. But the two of us got to know each other, and fell for one another. I know you may not believe it because it was so private, but to tell you the facts, Draco nor I could admit it. You see, Draco was in the midst of gaining Voldemort's trust, while I was helping to destroy him. So to answer your other question, yes I can attest to the fact that Draco was indeed a spy."

The questions began flooding at them. "That will be all for today," Draco told the press before apparating away with Hermione.

The press stared after them stunned at what they had just witnessed.


	13. The Ron Encounter

**Chapter 13**

Draco and Hermione were on their way back to her flat. It had been about a month since their interview and people had been owling them nonstop with questions. Hermione had received more hate mail than she did when she was 'dating' Harry back in fourth year, but it was nowhere near close to those letters that were congratulatory. In addition to that, both Witch Weekly and the Daily Prophet were both begging for an exclusive with the couple. She had never felt so overwhelmed with publicity, even though the last three months were full of it. She had even received a letter from Mrs. Weasley and the rest of her family, excluding Ron of course. They had been extremely shocked, seeing that they did not know of the circumstances behind the wedding since Ginny and Harry had kept it a secret for them. But none the less, they were overjoyed that she was able to move on from that prat of a brother called Ron (in Fred and George's words).

She and Draco found it harder to go out these days without having the cameras right in their faces, and Draco had found himself having to stay at her place for the night several times. Otherwise the relentless public would know how late he was there. They both knew that if he really wanted to, he could always floo or apparate back, but they found themselves in enjoyment of one another's company. While they may have been friends, Draco still took the couch every time, and honestly he didn't mind. The two of them still had their share of fights, but compared to those at Hogwarts, it was nothing.

They walked down the hall and Hermione unlocked the door to her flat. Draco took her hand and beckoned for her to go inside first, and Hermione smiled at him. But that smile was quickly erased by what she saw. There, standing in her flat after two months of avoidance, was Ron Weasley.

**~DM&HG~**

"What are you doing here?" Ron snarled at the sight of Draco. At this, Draco placed his arm protectively around her waist. He pulled her into him, not wanting that weasel to hurt her again. He glanced at her quickly and saw not sadness, but anger.

"It's my flat Ronald, or are you lost again?" Hermione said evenly.

"I was talking about Him. 'Mione, what are you doing?" Ron asked.

"I'm coming home from a perfectly lovely date," she scoffed.

"I'm talking about with him. 'Mione I know you don't like him, so why is he here?" Ron said, eyes narrowing.

"He is allowed to be here, he is my boyfriend. If anyone should be asking, it's me. Ronald what are you doing here?" she said calmly. Draco was proud of her. A month ago, she wouldn't be able to face him, let alone talk to him. But now here she is telling him off. He planted a kiss on her forehead to show her his support.

Ron looked furious at his guesture and drew out his wand. "Don't touch her _ferret," _he spit out through gritted teeth.

"I can touch her all I want weasel. She is _my_ girlfriend, not yours." Draco was disgusted at him. Even if he didn't really like her that way didn't mean that Ron had a right to be possessive of her.

"'Mione, we can work this out can't we? I can break up with Pansy for you. I know you still love me. If you didn't, you wouldn't be going all around strutting with Malfoy. But baby, I'm here now. Just tell him to go so we can get back to normal," Ron said, his eyes pleading with her.

Hermione was fuming. "Ronald Weasley. You come in to my house, after you have the bloody nerve to abuse me, emotionally and physically, after you tried to force yourself on me, and after you cheated on me, and expect me to still _**LOVE**_ you? Ronald in case you haven't noticed from those interviews, I am with Draco; not to get you jealous, but because I bloody love him. So get out of my flat and stop making these stupid demands. I am done with you forever, and have nothing left to say to you," Hermione said, voice rising.

What happened next was extremely quick. Ron had slapped her, and Draco drew out his want, pointing it menacingly at him. Hermione held her hand up to her cheek and felt the tears run down her face. Ron looked stunned at the wand, but didn't let it get in his way.

"You stupid _mudblood_. You refuse to sleep with me, someone who loves you, yet you whore around with this arse, who wants nothing more than getting in your granny panties. How dare you do this to me?"

Draco knew Ron's use of foul language got to Hermione. Ron had always being fighting off any person who said that word, even if it was him. But now here Draco found himself with the roles reversed. And he knew that he wanted nothing more than to kill him.

"Stupefy!" Draco yelled out. He wanted to say something more gruesome, something that would leave him in pain for a while, but he knew that Hermione didn't need to put up with him anymore than she had to. He dragged him to the fireplace and flooed him to Harry's place. Harry had been shocked by what his now former friend had done and promised he would take him to the Auror's office to get questioned. Before Harry left he pulled Draco aside

"Draco, I think I might have been wrong about you when we were in school. Thank you for being there for her tonight, I don't know what I would have done if something happened to her. Ron put her through a lot, and I think it would be better if he stayed out of all our lives for some time," Harry told him. While he knew Harry cared for Hermione deeply, he still had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at him.

**~DM&HG~**

When he returned after a few moments, he found her curled up in a corner, with her legs between her arms. He saw her crying heavily and he felt another surge of anger flow through him. He wanted to Sectemsempra Ron, or even Avada Kedavra him. But he settled for sitting with her. He placed his arms around her and allowed her to cry into his arms, while he stroked her hair.

"I thought I could handle him," she said between sobs. "I wanted so badly to give him a piece of my mind and tell him all the things I wish I could have. I wanted to let him know how much he hurt me and how much he put me through. I wanted to say that I never want to put up with his abuse again. But there I stood, too weak to say anything."

Draco felt himself weaken at the thought of her hurting. "Hermione, you are in no way weak. You are the smartest and the strongest witch I have ever come across, and are much stronger than most wizards." He ran his hand along her cheek. "I'm never going to let him hurt you again," he whispered. He saw her look into his eyes, before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you Draco," she said softly.

And there they sat for several hours, just wrapped up in each other's arms.


	14. The Planning

**Chapter 14**

It had also been a good month since the Ron incident. The Aurors held him for questioning and found him guilty of the charges of abusing her and had been fired from his job as a result. His entire family had been completely shocked by it, for they only knew a simpler version of the story, in which all he did was cheat on her. They sympathised for her and told her that they would always be there for her, and for that, she loved them even more. The only thing that worried her was that no one had seen him after his release. She was half afraid that he would show up on her door step and confront her when Draco wasn't there to protect her. Hermione decided that she couldn't spend any more time pondering about it though, so she began to get on with her life and move on. Hopefully she would never have to see him ever again, and that thought made her beyond happy.

Hermione had gotten up early that day. Draco's mother had wanted her to floo over today to talk to her about something important. Draco had spent most of the night with her, but an owl from his mother had him leave earlier that morning. He had left her a note in which he apologized profusely for leaving early multiple times. Apparently his mother had something very important to discuss with the two of them, but it left her very confused and a tad nervous.

It hadn't helped that she constantly had Dumbledore and the Ministry constantly breathe down the back of their necks to get a move on it. It had only been two months since they had officially started dating, and announcing an engagement so soon didn't seem right. She was a little afraid of what the public would think if they found out, but to be honest, she was more afraid of the marriage itself. Hermione would be expected to have a kid with a man that she had no feelings for whatsoever. She knew that they were friends so it wouldn't be so bad, but she had barely kissed any guys, so do take that extra step was something that was completely weird to her. She knew that Draco had been with several women before, after all, they all bragged about it the next day, but would that raise his expectations of her?

She still hadn't told her parents. They knew that she and Ron split up and that she was seeing someone new, but they had no idea about the circumstances whatsoever. She wanted to tell them, but she had no idea how. She knew they would scold her. They would tell her to stop being so selfless and think of herself for once, but how could she do any different? She had spent all her life being told to be selfless until the point where it became a second nature for her, and then all of a sudden she's told to think about herself? It didn't register as a possibility in her mind. She sighed, knowing that she would have to tell them sooner or later.

She brushed her hair one last time before giving up. While it wasn't anywhere near as bushy as it was in school, she still hated her hair. She stepped in the fireplace and dropped the powder while calling out for the Manor. When she got out of the fireplace she looked out to see Draco waiting there for her. He smiled when he saw her appear and planted a kiss on her forehead. Hermione looked around for Narcissa, but she was nowhere to be found. Not that Hermione was complaining.

"I've missed you," he whispered softly.

She felt herself melt at the way his voice sounded, and the words he spoke. She had grown quite accustomed to his presence, and preferred his company. "I've missed you too," she said softly.

"Draco, I wanted to ask you something," she said, a bit nervous for his answer. "Would you like to meet my parents? I know it's a little sudden, but they would kill me if they knew about this whole thing, but I think they would be more upset if they weren't even aware that I was with them and soon to marry them. And I know they're muggles and all, but honestly they aren't bad people, I think you might actually like them," Hermione rambled on.

He raised a finger to her lips and quieted her immediately. "Hermione, I would love to meet your parents, and don't worry, I can pretend for you as you've done for me," he told her.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. It meant a lot to her that he would be willing to this for her, without so much as a word of complaint.

"Hermione!" A graceful voice called out. Hermione looked up to see Narcissa gliding into the room. Hermione smiled at her wholesome presence.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said, while Narcissa brought her into a tight embrace.

"Hermione," she said in a scolding voice, "I thought I told you to call me Narcissa!"

"I'm sorry, I'll keep it in mind," Hermione said with a smile.

Narcissa ushered them into her sitting room where she had all these papers all over the table. Hermione stared in shock about the amount of planning that she was throwing into something. What could it be for? She prayed it wasn't for her wedding, but then again, unless Draco let something slip, she had no way of knowing what it was for.

"Hermione, Draco, sit down. I need to talk to you both," Narcissa said with a serious look on her face. Draco and Hermione exchanged looks. Was there a way that she somehow knew about the unity agreement? They both hoped not. "Oh lighten up you too, it's nothing bad," she said with a laugh.

Hermione couldn't help but still feel nervous.

"You two may have publicly announced your relationship, but you haven't done it the right way. And it has been bugging me for a while. I thought to myself, what would be the perfect idea to announce a relationship? But then I had a brilliant idea. Why not announce it formally at the Malfoy Ball?" Narcissa said to them, obviously proud of herself for the idea.

Hermione looked to Draco for an explanation. "It's a ball that our family throws every year, with the exception for the last two. Generally most of the influential people in all of Britain are invited." He turned to his mother. "I didn't know we were throwing it again this year, especially after father was," Draco said with his voice trailing off.

Narcissa didn't lose her optimism. "I wasn't planning on it, but we need to keep the Malfoy name as clean as possible, especially after all your father did to tarnish it. I think it's time that we finally cleaned that piece of filth out of our live for good." Hermione was surprised at how Narcissa spoke of her now ex-husband. Draco had often told her how his mother was too frightened to stand up to Lucius in fear for Draco.

"I think it's a good idea," Hermione said.

Narcissa's eyes lit up. "Oh good! Just leave all the planning to me. It will be the best party that this family has ever thrown! Oh I can see it already, all the fountains and the lights. But I still need a theme, I'll have to pick one later," Narcissa said, pushing them out of the lounge. "Go you two, I need to plan." Hermione caught Draco roll his eyes and smiled, but also felt a bit queasy. What had she just signed up for?

"So are you ready for me to meet your parents?"


	15. First Impressions and Muggle Machines

**Chapter 15**

Draco stared out the house in front of him. It wasn't necessarily a large one, nor was it the most elegant. It was quaint, but not in a bad way. It was rather charming in size. The house was two stories high and a held a cream coloured exterior. The house had a picket white fence and two flower pots, one under each window. It was the perfect type of house to raise a family in, and held a warm appearance to it. Hopefully the house would be a reflection on the people who it belonged to.

He didn't meet the parents of the girls he dated. It just wasn't something he did. Sure, he knew Pansy's parents, but that was only since her parents were friends with the Malfoys. Meeting parents were for couples who had serious relationships, and frankly Draco didn't do the whole serious thing. What he had with Hermione was probably the closest he had to a serious relationship, and that wasn't even real. So one could tell why exactly he was as nervous as he was. He never thought in a million years that he, Draco Malfoy, would care what a bunch of muggles thought of him. He didn't object to their lack of magic as he once would have, but it still surprised him how much this meeting made him fear. What if they didn't like him? Would Hermione be forced to explain their situation? If so, wouldn't that make them hate him even more?

Hermione laced her fingers through his hands and looked at him. "Are you ready?"

Draco wanted to shake his head, and tell her that no, he wasn't. He wanted to tell her that there was no way he could do this, and that he should just do it another time. But he couldn't do that. He had promised her, and it didn't help that she had already rang the doorbell, eliminating any chances of escape.

The door opened, and a thin middle aged woman opened the door. She looked similar to Hermione, so Draco guessed that it must have been her mother. He felt the pit of nervousness in his stomach grow deeply.

"Hermione," her mother said bringing her into a tight embrace. "I wasn't expecting you here today." She looked over and saw Draco. He saw her observe him up and down before making a comment at his presence. "And who is this lovely gentleman that you brought with you?"

Hermione let go of her mother, and placed an arm on Draco's. "Mum, this is Draco Malfoy. He's become very important to me. I'm sorry that we stopped in without any notice, but I really wanted you to meet him," Hermione said with a smile.

Draco stuck out his arm and shook her hand. "Hello Mrs. Granger, it's so nice to meet you. Hermione has told me so much about you. Although, she has failed to mention how beautiful her mum looked," Draco said, adding the smile that he was so famous for her. Mrs. Granger smiled brightly at him while Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"David, Hermione has stopped by and she brought over a friend," She called into the house. "Oh honestly, where is your father?" She wandered back inside trying to find him.

Hermione brought them both inside her house and Draco looked around the place. It was just as nice as it was on the outside. Draco looked at the pictures on the wall of their family. There were pictures of Hermione with her parents when she was a little child. He saw one from when she was around 11 and remembered the kid that he saw that day at Hogwarts before they were sorted. Then something odd struck him. These pictures, they weren't moving! Draco let out a yelp before pointing it out to Hermione.

She smirked before responding. "Draco, things in the muggle world are much different than the wizarding world. They don't floo or apparate places, they don't owl each other, and their pictures don't move."

Draco let out a huff of annoyance. "I know that! How oblivious do you think I am?" But honestly he had no clue. He knew that the muggle world didn't have all the things of the magical world, but he had no idea just how different it was. He never spoke of muggle related things with his parents unless it was his father telling him of their inferiority, and he never took the Muggle Studies class at Hogwarts, so he had no way of knowing.

Hermione smiled smugly at him, knowing just as much. "So you must be an expert then?"

Draco looked at her, not wanting to admit his lack of knowledge in anything. "Why of course I do." He stared her up, trying to look all knowing.

"So then, what is the function of a telephone?" Hermione asked, knowing he wouldn't know the answer.

"A tellymaphone?" Draco asked at her incredulously. "You're just making that up! There's no such thing."

Hermione laughed at his pronunciation. "No, I'm afraid I'm not. But you knew that didn't you?" she teased.

"Ok, Miss Know-It-All, then what is the function of a what-you-call-it?"

"It's kind of like a two way howler, where you can have a conversation with a person by speaking into something. But you don't have to wait for a reply, it's an instantaneous thing. Oh and you don't need to only saw rude things, you can talk about whatever you want." Hermione saw the puzzled look on his face, then saw the realisation dawn on him when he realised just what it was.

"Ooh! What other muggle machines do you have? And what do they do? And do they all have such weird names?" Draco asked eagerly. For someone who spent most of his life criticizing muggles, he found them quite amusing. The two of them walked further down the hall with Hermione walking backwards giving him a tour of his house.

"Oh by the way, there's a little bump in the floor, so watch out, you might tri-" Hermione started, before finishing. She was interrupted by the fact that the both of them were now falling. Draco tripped on the bump and in the process knocked her over as well. He landed on top of her, his face inches away from him.

They heard someone clear their throat from behind them. Draco felt the nervous pit in his stomach return as he realised who it was and what their position looked like.

"What do you think you are doing to my daughter young man?"


	16. To Win Their Trust

**Chapter 16**

Hermione got Draco off her and looked embarrassed. To her surprise, her father did not look angry or annoyed as she would have expected him to look, but rather had a look of amusement upon his face. She gave him a quick hug, as it had been a little while since she last saw him.

"Hi daddy, how are you?" she asked innocently.

"Hi sweetheart, who's your friend here?" he asked, giving Draco a dirty look. While he may have looked amused at the situation, Hermione knew that he wasn't going to take it easy on him.

She placed her arm on his shoulder after he hastily stood up. "This is Draco Malfoy, he's my, my boyfriend," Hermione said nervously. She had no idea how her father would react to the news of her having a boyfriend. She hadn't told them what exactly Ron had done to her, because if she did, she knew he would grab a shotgun and shoot him. They had a general idea that it didn't end well, and since then her father had become more protective, if that was even possible.

"I see," her father replied. He stared him up and down before saying anything again. He stuck his hand out, and Hermione let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, "Nice to meet you Draco."

Hermione saw Draco relax slightly and shake her father's hand. "It's very nice to meet you sir, I've heard so much about you. It's nice to meet the people who raised Hermione into the brilliant woman she is today," Draco said with a nervous smile.

Hermione saw her mother come back in with a pot of tea and some biscuits. "Why don't we go sit in the tea room?" she suggested happily. Hermione noticed that her mother had not been able to stop smiling since Draco had shot her his signature smile. So Draco had captured his mother's heart among the many he already had. Go figure. Hermione rolled her eyes; of course her mother would take right to Draco. This was going to be a very interesting afternoon

**~DM&HG~**

They settled awkwardly in the tea room, and Draco looked around the room. It had a Victorian look to it, with a modern twist through the technology. He liked the room, and was surprised at the level of intricacy certain features of the room held. While the furniture was old looking, it was in extremely good shape. The detailing on it was extremely elaborate.

Hermione and her mother began talking about her and Draco, and she told her the same story she told her mother. Her mother looked absolutely thrilled at the story and sighed dreamily while Hermione told the story. While all of this was happening, Draco avoided making eye contact with her father, who seemed to be analysing his every move. Draco was afraid he would start sweating if the pressure increased.

"What are your intentions with our daughter?" Mr. Granger interrupted suddenly.

"What do you mean Sir?" he asked politely.

"What do you see in the future with our daughter? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem like the type to settle down easily. So what do you want with her? I don't want her to get hurt because you just want to get with her," her father said bluntly.

Draco felt the nervousness at just how close he nailed his personality. He felt his pulse quicken as he tried to think of a reply. "Well, um, well uh-." Hermione must have sensed this so she quickly interjected.

"Dad, Draco's not like that. He used to be like that in the past, but he's not anymore," she said softly. "He's changed, he really has. He helped so much during the war in ways that many still don't know. He saved my life too. Otherwise I could have died. Draco's brave and strong, but to top it off, he cares for me, he really does." She paused a bit before adding another statement. "And he's not Ron."

Draco was shocked at how much she stood up for him. He never imagined that Hermione would be convincing her parents that he was good for her. In fact, he was a little scared that they would disapprove and because of that she would call off the entire agreement. He stared at her in awe, clearly surprised by the woman who sat beside him.

Hermione's father wasn't completely satisfied yet, but he looked a little more convinced that Draco wasn't all bad.

"Sir, if I may add, Hermione means a lot to me. She's probably the best thing that ever happened in my life," Draco said sincerely. After all, if it hadn't been for her, he would still be trying to convince people that he truly was good and not in fact a Death Eater. "I would never do anything in a million years to hurt her."

He wrapped an arm around her, and she snuggled closer, but in an appropriate way. Her father seemed to relax slightly. "Well then son, call me David," he said with a smile on his face.

They continued to talk right to tea time, and Hermione and her mother excused themselves to go make some dinner. Draco had relaxed considerably and was now talking to her father as if he were an old friend. He treated Draco as if he were his own son, and that kindness made Draco completely humbled. He had never met such nice people in his life. He felt disgust at his father. Lucius was truly the animal, and not these muggles, as he was raised to believe. Hermione was lucky to have such kind souls raise her, and it showed in her personality.

When David asked about his relationship with his parents Draco hesitated slightly. He told him how close he was with his mother, but told him that his father had died. It was a lot simpler than explaining that his father was a muggle hating dark wizard that was now in jail for being a murder. If he did that, then Hermione and him would be forced to explain the entire situation and there would be no way of the agreement happening; her parents would make sure of that. He really hoped that the two of them would get along, for he did not want to be on David's bad side.

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione saw her mum observe her closely as she peeled the potatoes with her wand. Her mum smiled at her, and Hermione thought it was in reference to her laziness. "It's a lot easier mum, it saves time," she said. Her mum just shook her head leaving Hermione confused whether she was actually referring to the potatoes or not.

She had been surprised just how well her parents seemed to take to Draco. When Hermione first mentioned Viktor, her father had wanted to pull her out of school right away, but her mother had calmed him down enough to convince him not to. And when she told him of Ron, he almost went to the store to purchase a gun. In comparison to those, this meeting had gone extremely well. She knew Draco was extremely nervous, and felt a bit of pride. Her parents were going to be the first and last parents to ever meet Draco. Even if it wasn't out of choice, that made her a little happy.

"He loves you, you know," her mum said, interrupting her thoughts. When Hermione looked at her questioningly she said, "Draco. He hasn't taken his eyes off you all afternoon. And he's always staring at you with such kind loving eyes."

"Don't be silly mum," Hermione said blushing. There was no way Draco was in love with her, especially under the circumstances. Maybe one day they would grow to love each other, but they currently had no feelings for each other.

Her mother just shook her head in response.

She wondered what made her mum say that. Well if she had managed to convince her mum, then her dad would soon be convinced as well. She felt awful for lying to her parents but she wasn't sure what else to do. This was probably the first time she had even told them a lie, and it made her a bit queasy. "It's for the greater good," she told herself repeatedly.

After they had finished, they carried the food out to the tea room, where her father was engaging Draco in a conversation about airplanes. Draco looked absolutely fascinated but at the same time confused at why muggles would need such inventions. Hermione leaned in and explained about their lack of magical air transportation. This caused quite a reaction with him.

"Does that mean that there's no Quidditch?" Draco asked, absolutely shocked. Hermione just laughed at his expression.

"What is this 'Quidditch' you speak of?" her father asked, interestedly.

Draco's eyes lit up and he immediately began explaining the rules to him, and the two of them engrossed in a huge discussion about tactics. Leave it to them to begin talking about sports The two women just rolled their eyes, and Hermione engaged her mum in a conversation about her gardening.

**~DM&HG~**

After a couple hours Draco and Hermione stood up to leave. Draco had promised to get David tickets to a match once it reached the semi-finals (According to him that would be the most interesting). Hermione had hugged both her parents good bye, while Draco merely shook their hands. Overall, it had been a good visit, and Hermione was quite pleased at how quickly her parents took to Draco. They apparated back to her flat and Draco kissed her on the cheek before turning to leave. Hermione, remembering her mother's words, as wrong as the might be, called out to him.

"Draco, do you want to spend the night?" Hermione called out. Draco turned around and smiled at her. The two of them went into her flat, and for the first time in two months, they slept in the same bed.


	17. Shopping For Dresses and Reassurance

**A/N**: I've had quite a few people wondering where this story was headed, so without giving out too much, I'll tell you guys this. This is the story of the arranged marriage between Draco and Hermione, and what sorts of things they face, such has having children and dealing with their lives after the war, and while also throwing in a couple of other characters plot lines into the story so it's not just about the two of them. I know you guys know most of that already, but I was afraid that I would give out far too much.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Hermione woke up the next morning, feeling rather relaxed. She rolled over in the bed and was half shocked to see Draco lying in bed before her, before realising that she had invited him into bed. He was a great person in bed, but not in that way one would automatically think. He hardly moved in his sleep, making it more peaceful for her to sleep. She blushed suddenly as she realised that her head was on his chest; his naked chest, as he slept in nothing but his boxers. She didn't want to move in fear that she would wake him. Her hand slowly stroked down his chest, his nicely sculpted chest.

"You're very peaceful when you sleep you know," Draco said with a hint of a smirk upon his face. She looked up, blushing even more to be caught. His arm that was opposite to her was tucked behind his head, while the arm closest to her had his arm around her waist.

"Were you watching me sleep?" she asked curiously. She snuggled her head back into his chest, as it was just so comfy.

"Only for a while, I didn't want to wake you up," he said with a slight grin on his face. "Do you have the day off today?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, Ginny wanted to take me shopping today for the ball. She found out yesterday, and that woman wants to go right away to find a dress. There's nothing gone with going a little later, after all, the ball isn't until next week," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at the thought of the redhead.

Draco laughed at her comment. "So what time is she supposed to meet you then?"

Hermione rolled off him unhappily. She looked at the clock by her bed side and her eyes popped. "She's supposed to meet me in a few-" Hermione said cut off.

"Hermione! Where are you?" yelled out an annoyed Weasley. She stomped toward the bedroom, where she guessed where Hermione would be. Hermione's eyes widened.

Hermione looked over at Draco frantically. She knew Ginny would get the wrong idea about their position no matter what she tried to tell her. Draco give her a look, as if to say, 'If it has to happen then give her a good story," and pulled her right back on top of him. Hermione felt content once more back in his arms.

Ginny barged into the room without thinking twice. "Hermione Granger, if you are still in bed then I swear by Merlin that I shall," Ginny said before widening her eyes in shock. "Melin's Beard Hermione!" she yelled before running out of the room. From outside the door she yelled again, but laughing this time, "Hermione, while Draco may be great in bed, you and me have a date with a certain dress maker."

Hermione groaned before getting up and grabbing a set of clothes to change into. "Why not change in here?" Draco asked with a smirk. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him and went towards the bathroom to change.

**~DM&HG~**

"So you had a busy night last night did you?" Ginny asked pryingly. She had been giving Hermione strange looks since they had first apparated to the shop, and now once they were looking through the dresses she finally begin to take it to the next level: interrogating.

"Ginny, nothing happened last night. We just slept together!" Hermione said. The minute it came out of her mouth, Ginny's mouth dropped. Hermione clasped her hand over her mouth after she realised just how Ginny had taken it. "Oh Merlin, Ginny not like that. We just shared the same bed, I swear to you!" Hermione said hastily.

"Sure, I believe you," Ginny said, but Hermione knew that she wasn't convinced that easily.

"How's it going with Harry?" Hermione asked her suddenly. She wasn't sure why, but she got off the vibe that Ginny wanted to talk about it.

"I don't know," Ginny said truthfully. "I mean it is great, and we both love each other, but we never actually talk about the future, and our plans for it. Sometimes it makes me feel like he doesn't want to ever settle down with me properly." Ginny looked a little saddened by the last bit.

Hermione was shocked. "Ginny, Harry loves you. I'm sure if you just told him how you felt then the two of you could talk about it and then you can decide what you want to do. Then he may even propose to you."

Ginny, now reassured by Hermione's words, enthusiastically began in her search to find Hermione and her, the perfect dresses.

**~DM&HG~**

They looked for a few hours for a dress. Hermione wanted the perfect one for the occasion; after all she would be trying to impress the entire wizarding society at the ball. Since it was her official party to announce her relationship with Draco, it needed to be perfect. But none of the dresses seemed to look right. Ginny had already selected a bunch of dresses for herself, each one looking more gorgeous than the last, but nothing caught Hermione's eye.

"Miss, perhaps I could be of assistance," called out one of the sales ladies. "Is this dress for anything special?" she asked.

"It's for the Malfoys ball next week," Hermione said. It felt odd talking about going to balls and such, after the last one she attended had been the Yule Ball.

"Oh my, you certainly are lucky to be able to go. What's your relationship to the family?" she asked again. Through all of this, she had been searching through the racks trying to find a dress.

"I'm the date of Draco Malfoy," she said. The sales lady took a look at her before realising that it was Hermione who stood in front of her. She never would get used to the new status she received after the war and now being Draco's girlfriend. She often felt bad for Harry, who received a much larger scale of attention.

The sales lady held up a dress proudly. Hermione gaped at it. There was no way that dress would look any good on her. She didn't have curves in any of the right places to pull something like that off. But it seems that Ginny had other ideas. She smiled, somehow thinking the pure opposite to Hermione's opinions and Ginny pushed her straight into a dressing room and told her that she wouldn't let her out until she tried on the dress.

Hermione sighed and zipped up the dress. It certainly felt good around her. But how did it look? There was no mirror in the changing room, so she would have to go out to check her appearance. She only hoped that it wasn't dreadful. As soon as she opened the door, Ginny gasped. She knew it, the dress did look horrible. Ginny must have sensed her reaction for she pushed her straight to a mirror. It was Hermione's turn to let out a gasp. The brown dress clung on to her torso with a heart shaped cut at the cleavage. The dress came in tightly at the waist before fanning out. The train of the dress wasn't too long, but enough to make a statement. The dress was covered in sparkles, and shimmered under the light. The dress was perfect.

"She'll take it," Ginny volunteered for her with a bright smile on her face.

"How much is it?" Hermione asked hesitantly. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to afford it, for no other dress could match her expectations after this one.

"Don't worry about it miss, a letter came in a short while ago from Mr. Malfoy saying to send him the tab for the dress."

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. She would have to have a talk with him about spending all his money on her, but she did have to admit that it was an extremely sweet gesture of him.

Ginny purchased her dress, and the two of them left the shop. Hermione apparated back to her flat, only to find a very nervous Harry pacing back and forth in her kitchen with Draco just sitting there speechless.

"What is it? What happened?"


	18. The Escaped Prisoner

**Chapter 18**

"What is it? What happened?" Hermione asked. Her mind immediately thought of a million possible scenarios over what could possibly have caused the scene she saw before her. Each thing she thought of was worse than the rest. Was someone she knew sick? What if they were dying? Hermione's stomach tightened at the thought of anyone she knew being in grave danger. She had lost so many in the war, and she didn't think that she could lose anymore. She was thankful every day that people who she thought had died, had survived, even Snape.

"Hermione, you should sit down," Draco said gently.

"Draco, you don't need to tell her if you don't want," Harry said, intervening.

"Tell me what?" Hermione demanded. She knew that Harry always tried to protect her, and would go to great lengths to do so, and while she loved him for it, she hated being left out. It drove her crazy, and while she understood that she didn't need to know everything, Hermione needed to know. Asking her not to learn something was like asking someone not to breathe. It was what she did, whether it was through knowledge or information.

"Harry, I understand where you are coming from, but she has the right to know. Once he finds out, he's going to come for her. She needs to be ready in case something goes wrong," Draco said softly.

He placed his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "Hermione, what I am about to tell you is to warn you, in case worst comes to worst. I don't want you worrying about this, after all, it's mine and Harry's job to prevent this, but I need you to be aware of the chance something goes wrong. It's imperative that you do not tell anyone. Not even my mother knows, for it would kill her to know."

Hermione felt a wave of sickness rush over her. She knew that she wouldn't like whatever it was that Draco told her. But she gave him a nod of reassurance. He analysed the look for a second, contemplating whether he should change his mind, before proceeding on to tell her the horrible story.

"No one knows what happened exactly, but my father escaped from Azkaban. It has only been done once by Sirius Black, and that was because he knew that he was innocent. No one can explain how it happened. My father was not animagus, for he believed that made him less of a pure wizard. However there are theories that Harry and I have speculated," Draco paused before proceeding.

Hermione felt her eyes widen with both shock and fear. There was no way that could have happened. He was locked away safely, and the Dementors made sure of that. But he was on the loose, which meant one thing. He would try to find Draco, and once he did he would try to kill him for turning on the dark side.

"Are you going to be ok?" she asked Draco fearfully. "What if he tries to kill you Draco? I can't have my soon to be fiancé die. Draco you have to stay safe!" She felt a few tears rush down her face, and she was unable to stop them.

He got out of his chair and wrapped his arms around her softly. "Hermione, is that what you are worried about?" he whispered to her.

Hermione felt confused. "What else is there? Isn't that half the reason that you two are so worried? That Draco's life is now in danger?"

Harry and Draco exchanged a brief look before staring at her surprised.

Harry placed his arm on her shoulder. "Hermione, we're worried about you!" When she didn't show any sign of comprehending what they were saying, Harry launched into an explanation. "Hermione, who do you think he's going to come for once he finds out about your relationship? He won't do anything to Draco, for he feels that he might be able to 'save' him from his blood-traitorous self, but if he believes that Draco truly loves you, then he will try and kill you. That's half the reason that we're so worried."

Draco interjected. "Actually, that's mainly why I'm worried Hermione." She felt his arms tighten around her, and she grasped on tighter. So they both were worried about each other, while not once taking their own safety into account.

She pulled slightly out of his arms, so now only one was around her, while Harry sat down in the chair across from them both. "What are you going to do about the public? It's a two way loose," Hermione said after a while. When she saw both of them staring at her in confusion, she explained, "If you tell the public, then there will be fear and chaos. Everything good established over the last five months will be lost. People will be turning on one another in fear of who may be evil, regardless of facts. But if you simply didn't tell people, then there could be a lot of deaths, while the public is unaware of who they are looking out for, and who the murder could be."

Harry and Draco stared at her in shock.

"Why aren't an Auror? We could use you," Draco stated.

"You thought of all that in the time it would take the communications department to look over the case," Harry said.

She smiled slightly at the. "Because I'd rather be healing people." Draco and Harry just shook their heads at her.

Harry looked at Draco. "Draco, you wouldn't normally be aware of this case, seeing that you've barely worked in the department as long as some of the other people. But I thought you had a right to know, seeing that he is your father. And because you know him the best, I want you to be in charge of the mission."

Draco looked at him in utter shock. "Can you do that?" he asked sceptically

"I haven't told anyone yet, but on Monday the head of the Auror department is retiring, and they asked me to be the head," Harry said. He seemed extremely humbled when he spoke.

"Merlin Harry, that's amazing," Hermione said with a huge smile upon her face.

"Harry, blimey, that's brilliant! And I accept. I shall start first thing in the moment, trying to figure out what it is that my father is up to. And I shall bring up your suggestion Hermione, about the communication problem," Draco said, stepping up to the responsibilities before him.

Harry smiled at them both. "Thanks guys, and Draco, I know you will do a good job." Harry got up to leave. "It's getting late, and Ginny and I have a special evening planned," Harry said with a wink, before stepping into the fireplace and flooing back to his place.

Hermione looked at Draco fearfully. "Draco, be careful. Promise me that you'll be careful!" Hermione said, frightened.

He brought her into a tight embrace. "I promise."

* * *

**A/N:** You guys are the greatest. I love reading your reviews and finding out what you think of the story. I shall update as much as possible. Oh and sorry about the cliffies :P


	19. The Secret Meeting

**Chapter 19**

_There was a dark alley in the wizarding London, filled with weird stores and dark magic. This alley was one where normal witches and wizards did not go generally for it contained those who hid in the shadows. It was an alley where murders and kidnapping was not uncommon to its inhabitants; the type of alley that fathers would always fear that their daughters may wander into. The Ministry had spent years without prevail, trying to clean up the alley. But something happened each time; for this alley was one where the good were not welcome. Moreover, it was an alley filled with darkness. This was Knockturn Alley._

_The two men met in the furthest corner of the alley, for they had come to discuss a sinister plan. The older one was running late, and had left the younger one feeling agitated. The younger man was much more inexperienced, whereas the elder was familiar with the dark arts. But it had been the younger one that insinuated this meeting, for he was the one who wanted it to happen, oh how he wanted it. It was him after all who had been spending all the time in the planning stages. He needed this to go perfectly, which is why he invested in the help of the elder bloke._

"_I want the girl. You may do whatever you want with the boy, but the girl is mine," said a voice, full of feigned confidence. He stood tall, trying to show his power. He hated being underestimated, and he knew that his enemies would make the assumption that he was weak. That was where he would prove them wrong. He would make each and every last one of them regret the day where they did not give him the credit that he had come to deserve. _

"_I agree," said an older voice. "It shall be done. Tonight at the Malfoy ball we shall strike, and that is where we make our move. We will each take our prize." It would be hard to break the security barriers, but if anyone could do it, it was the elder male. It had most likely changed since the times when Voldemort had inhabited the house, but it was worth a shot. For if there was one thing about Malfoys, it was that they were predictable. All it took was a bit of Polyjuice potion, and suddenly they were in._

_The one with the first voice smiled. It was almost too easy for him to manipulate him. He expected more of a fight, or an argument over who gets what. But he would not complain, for after tonight, it would all be resolved, and then it would go back to the way it was before._

_Meanwhile the elder male held his head in contempt. Getting what he wanted would be harder than he expected. But if he played his cards correctly and acted at the right time, then he would be able to get all of the things he desired, and he wouldn't have to share._

_The two men went their separate ways, pretending that the exchange had not just occurred. Not that it would matter to anyone that heard, for they would want it to happen just as much. But everyone in the dark alley kept to themselves. No one wanted anything to do with the other wizards. _

_As they apparated separately, a murder of crows flew through the alley. Revenge would be sweet._

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione woke with a start the next morning. She had had a nightmare, but thinking back upon it, she could not recall what it had been about. She decided not to give it much thought. For it had only been a dream and not anything of significance.

She took in her unfamiliar surroundings. Draco's room was surprisingly well kept. He had a wall of books opposite to where he slept, and on the side was a deep looking closet full of clothes. The furniture was made out of Mahogany and each had elegant engravings. His room itself must have cost a fortune, but the Malfoys weren't exactly short of money.

Once again, she found that she had fallen asleep in Draco's arms. She was surprised at how comfortable it had been there. After Harry had left her flat, Draco and she went to bed. Draco had wanted to go to the Manor to look out for his mother, but no matter how much she insisted, he refused to leave her on her own. So she found herself in Draco's king sized bed. She smiled in spite of herself. It was rather sweet of him to care so much for her safety.

Draco rolled over with a groan, and tried to put his arm around her body, however when he felt nothing there, he sat up in fear. Once he saw her there sitting up in bed, he relaxed slightly.

She kissed him on the forehead. "I'm safe, don't worry," she pacified.

He pulled her back so that she was lying down, trapped in his arms. She let out a laugh and squirmed trying to get out. "Draco let go, I need to go," she said after realising he wouldn't let her out so easily.

He squinted and tried looking at her. It was far too bright for his liking. "Where do you need to go?" he asked her without letting her go from his arms. He loved the feeling of her warmth against his body, and wasn't willing to give that up without a fight.

"Have you forgotten what today is? It's the ball. Ginny insisted I go over to Grimmauld Place first thing in the morning. Apparently a lot of work needs to be done before tonight so I can look 'presentable'," she said rolling her eyes at her friend.

Draco scanned her up and down and smirked. "Why can't you just go wearing what you are now, for tonight?"

Hermione turned red. She had forgotten to pack any pyjamas, so he gave her one of his shirts. It was far too big for her, acting as a dress against her petite figure. Her hair was also a mess; more than it usually was. If she did what he told her, then people would for sure get the wrong idea. And no matter how much she tried to talk it out of Ginny, she would expect the worst.

She hit him playfully on the arm, and he faked a look of pain. "Now you definitely cannot go Ms. Granger," he said, bringing her closer to him. She held her hand across his naked chest and had her face under his head, resting against his chest. She felt so comfortable in his arms.

After talking to Ginny she began contemplating her feelings towards Draco. She could justify it that she was acting how one would with their would-be fiancé. But at the same time, she didn't know what she felt for him. She didn't have feelings for him, but at the same time, they weren't simply friends. Whatever it was, she would figure it out in time.

"I guess I could stay for another hour," she said with a smile, cuddling into his arms.

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**A/N:** Thanks again for all of your reviews, 150 in just two weeks! You guys are simply amazing. I love reading your predictions and your suggestions for what you would like to happen, so thank you for those.


	20. The Preparation

**Chapter 20**

Draco stared into the mirror as he twisted his tie into a knot. He had changed a lot since the days before the war. No more did a cowering man face him when he saw his reflection. No, now there was a man who he was proud to be; one that was now respected, not out of fear, but out of deserved respect. The difference was monumental to him, as he had felt both types in the past.

He picked up a tiny velvet box from his dressing table and placed it into his pocket, feeling a rush of nausea flood through his body. He glanced quickly at the clock which read 7: 15. The ball was not set to start until 9, but he had to meet with Dumbledore and the other Aurors before then. He wanted to ask the elder wizard for his assistance tonight, just in case his father decided to make a special guest appearance. And of course, he needed the Aurors there to discuss the plans, just in case something did happen. He hoped that nothing would, for he wanted tonight to be special for him and Hermione. The last thing he wanted was for the press to find out about Lucius on the loose. That would only ensure panic, and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

He went downstairs and entered an office. There waiting for him was Dumbledore, Harry, and a handful of other Aurors. They looked at him, waiting to be debriefed about the mission. Draco closed the door and began.

"As you all know, my father has escaped from Azkaban. A feat only managed by one other in history.

You may be wondering how it was that he did manage to do so, as I am sure we all are. From what we have gathered, he has received help from an unknown source. Who this source could be has been placed under our priority list, as one of the highest points," Draco felt all the nervousness leave his body. He knew what he was doing.

"Our plan for tonight is as follows. Aurors will be placed at every single possible entrance and will be circling the parameter. We shall also have a few Aurors in the ball as well to prevent any instances with polyjuice potion. We shall keep in contact throughout the night, and if anything goes wrong, I want you to contact me immediately. Am I clear?" Draco asked. He felt the Aurors around the room give him a smile and he knew that he had gained their trust.

The Aurors all left to take their positions, and Dumbledore had gone to fetch Snape. It seems that his mother made a personal request for his presence tonight. He hadn't been surprised, after all Snape and his mother had always been good friends, even before Voldemort. That left Harry and Draco alone in the office. However, unlike the old days, they no longer faced each other with looks of loathing and despise. Now they had a look of mutual trusting, and somewhere on the banks of friendship.

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. Before her was a girl, wearing a brown dress that tightened and flowed at all the right places. She had her hair in a half up half down style and curled. She was wearing makeup, something she normally detested using. However, tonight it added to her radiance. She hated to admit it, but Ginny had done an excellent job on her. She had spent a good half hour yelling at her for being late, but after that, she seemed able to get over it. Narcissa and Ginny spent the entire afternoon gushing over her and constantly adding things they thought she needed. She could never think of a time where she felt this happy about her appearance, not only because of the beauty, but also because of the confidence she had gained over the last year. She had always been mature for her age, but only shortly ago had she grown up.

"He won't be there tonight you know," Ginny said as she came up behind her. Hermione nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, for she had not been expecting it.

"Who?" she asked, pretending not to know what she was talking about.

"Hermione, I know about the escape. Harry and I decided long ago not to keep secrets from each other. It was far too risky. I know that you are worried that he might show up, but if he is that stupid, then they are ready for him. There's going to be Aurors all over the place," Ginny said in a soothing voice. While she may be extremely frustrating at times, Ginny was definitely one of the best things in Hermione's life.

Hermione gave her friend a hug. "I know Ginny. I'm just worried about Draco. It was hard enough for him having to grow up with his father always ordering him around, but he was able to get over that with the knowledge that his father would spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. And I'm afraid that the fact that he's out will ruin him. Ginny, he's a big part of my life now, in ways that I can't even begin to explain. And I need him to be safe. I cannot lose any more people Ginny, I just can't," Hermione said, nearly in tears.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her and comforted her softly. "I know 'Mione, but you won't. Harry's here tonight, and if we know one thing about him, is that he is stubborn. And Harry cares so much about you. He'd rather die than let something happen to you. And if Draco means that much to you, then Harry will help protect him too. So don't worry about it 'Mione."

Harry peaked his head into the doorway. "Can I come in?" he asked after knocking on the door. He entered as Ginny went to open the door at him and stared at his girlfriend speechless. "Merlin Ginny, you look absolutely lovely tonight," he said softly as he stroked her cheek. She smiled brightly at him and planted a kiss on his lips tenderly.

Hermione heard the music begin to play below, and he knew that the first of the guests had began to arrive. With Harry and Ginny following close behind, she walked down the stairs to be greeted by one very well dressed Draco Malfoy.


	21. The Ball Begins

**Chapter 21**

Draco stared it the beautiful woman coming down the stairs. He blinked, unable to process mentally who it could be. She had him in a trance with her slow, but graceful movements. Her hair was tied out of her face, with pieces draped over her shoulder in long bouncy curls. Her dress suited her body type, going along with the curves in her body. When he looked at her, he could barely recognise the young witch with the bushy hair that he knew in first year. Yet they were the one and the same. And she was absolutely gorgeous, to say in the least. Don't He was speechless, as he was still in shock, but he knew that he couldn't keep her waiting. She had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of him.

He grabbed her hand softly and kissed it. "Good evening my gorgeous lady," he said in a husky voice. He ran his hand along her face softly as he planted a light kiss on her cheek, for show's purpose of course. Well that was what he would like to have thought. But no, he kissed her simply because he could not resist the beauty that stood before him. All the other women he dated flew out of his mind, for they were nothing compared to what he saw.

She smiled at him and whispered, "Do you think I'll fit in tonight?" she asked nervously. Draco saw in her eyes how well she wanted tonight to go. She was making a large effort to blend into the world that he had grown up in, for him. And for that, he felt even more attached to her.

"No Hermione, you won't fit in," he said softly. When he saw her face fall slightly, he realised how she took his words. "Hermione, you are going to stand out far above the rest, for you are going to be the loveliest woman in there tonight. No one will be able to compare to your beauty, for they shall be dim compared to your radiance."

Draco felt a surge of happiness flow through him after she smiled at his compliment. He stuck out his hand, and she intertwined hers in his. They proceeded into the ballroom, where most of the guests for the night had already arrived. As soon as they entered, the eyes immediately drew to her. He had feared that they would judge her for her blood status and that they would disapprove of the relationship. It hadn't mattered to him what the rest of the higher class society thought, but Hermione wanted to fit in. And for that he cared.

But his worries were put to rest. For every man, woman, and child were staring at Hermione; not out of distaste, but out of wonder and of amazement. They were just as caught up in the beautiful woman wrapped around his arms.

She must have noticed. But unlike him, she hadn't understood why they were staring. A look of worry shot across her face. He bent close to her ear and softly whispered to her that they were staring out of curiosity, and not in a judging way. She looked around at them once more, and as she smiled to them, they were released. They began smiling and whispering. He knew that they accepted her.

Draco guided her to the center of the room, where he paused. He raised his arms in the air to welcome his guests. His mother had asked him to do so, as the ball tonight was in their honour, so he happily agreed. "Welcome friends to the Malfoy Manor. Tonight we gather to celebrate. We have survived the hard times of the war, and we have managed to move on. We gathered up our families and continued to live through the aftermath. And for that, we deserve congratulations. For not only have we managed to restore our lives, we have managed to converge together. Blood status and prejudices have been put aside, and now, there is equality. Do we not deserve to celebrate for that?" Draco asked.

The people around the room began clapping and cheering, as his heart raced. It never failed to surprise him how much society had changed over the last five months. He always loved to see how the people could forget things that made such a difference to them in the past.

The music began to play, and Draco led Hermione out to the centre of the floor. She looked at him questioningly. He wrapped one of his arms around his waist, and held her soft hand in his. She placed her arm on his shoulder, and they began to dance. "It's the duty of the host of the ball to have the first dance, and I am privileged enough to have the most beautiful lady in the room as my partner tonight." She blushed at his words, and Draco smiled at her. He knew how his words affected her, for she was not used to receiving praises. It angered him still that Ron never told her how amazing she was, and how Hermione grew to believe she was plain because of it. She was anything but plain, and she deserved to be told that, every second of every day, for the rest of his life. After the first song had played, the other couples joined them on the floor. Hermione and Draco didn't stop though, for they had lost track of time and the world around them. They danced for what seemed like hours, in each other's arms. Neither of them said a word, but they didn't need to. Everything they wanted to say, the other knew.

After the music paused, so the orchestra could change up, they left the floor. Draco walked her over to a waiter, and grabbed her a glass of champagne. "To us," he said with a smile as he raised his glass.

"To us," she said back, she said smiling. She hadn't stopped smiling since they had started dancing, and he didn't want it any other way. Hermione had a wonderful smile, enough to make any one care for her. He wanted to see her smile for the rest of her life, every single day.

He grabbed her hand, and led her to the balcony, where they could be isolated for a few minutes. Hermione followed without protest, and Draco felt his pocket suddenly grow heavier.

* * *

**A/N: **I've gotten a few reviews asking about the dress. I made up what I thought it would look like, but I can try and see if I can find anything close so I can show it to you. Thank you again for your reviews, you guys are spectacular.


	22. To Express Oneself

**Chapter 22**

Hermione wondered where he was taking her. He was firm with his grasp around her wrist, but at the same time he wasn't exactly forcing her along. She would gladly follow him wherever he took her. The night had been so wonderful so far, that she thought that nothing could possibly make it any better than it already was. It had been so magical, with all the lights and the music. There were ice sculptures floating in the air, as well as much other décor. Narcissa had really gone out of her way for the ball, so much so that Hermione wondered if all her balls were like this.

Hermione loved every second of the night; being wrapped up in Draco's strong sturdy arms made her forget all her worries and fears. Nothing could compare to how he was making her feel. In all her life, no one made her feel as loved as Draco did, and she knew he didn't have any feelings for her. But to her that didn't matter. She liked the stage in the relationship they were at right now, whatever that may be. She hoped the night would last forever, for she never wanted any of it to end. Part of her feared that she was living in a dream, and that she would wake up to find out none of this had happened. She wasn't sure how it was that it happened, but she needed Draco.

He led her outside to a balcony. She stared out at the view beyond where she stood. While she had been there before, it was much different at night. It was a clear night, so she could see all the stars bright up the sky, glistening like diamonds. It was a full moon, and the purity of the moon shone back down where she stood. It was a view that artists dreamed to paint, for she had never seen a night sky so raw and pure before.

She touched her hand to his cheek. "It's so lovely out here Draco," she said softly.

He caressed her face softly, and took her up in his arms. "Not as lovely as you," he said in a gentle voice. He must have seen her look down, for he scooped up her face and planted a kiss lightly on her lips. "Hermione, I mean it. You are the most beautiful woman in this house tonight. In fact, I'm pretty sure that you outshine every other woman in the world. You haven't been told it enough Hermione, but it's true. You are lovely, and I shall tell you every day. I won't let you go a day where you aren't told how amazing you are."

She felt her lips tingle slightly after his kiss. It had been so tender, so loving, that Hermione wanted to feel her lips upon his once more. She settled for wrapping her arms around him and placing her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and together they danced as they were. It was more swaying back and forth, but it didn't matter to them. For only one thing mattered to Hermione at this moment, and that was him.

She peered into the ballroom without lifting her head. There was Narcissa dancing happily with Snape. She saw a rare sight even, the sight of him laughing and enjoying himself. Narcissa seemed to bring out a different side to him, and likewise he did to her. She had never seen either of them so happy before, and the fact that after all that happened with Lucius, they were still able to have a relationship together. "Your mother seems to be hitting it off with Severus," she said not condolingly, but observantly.

Draco looked at his mother, and Hermione felt him smile. "I'm happy for her. She deserves someone that will treat her well, and if Severus makes her happy, then I am happy for my mother and godfather."

She knew that he was pleased. While he never mentioned it, she knew he was constantly worried for his mother and her happiness. And hopefully whatever happens tonight will lead to something for their future.

He paused slightly before breaking their embrace, and Hermione felt a rush of panic flow through her body. Had she done something wrong? She looked at him questioningly, and he had a look of nervousness upon his face. His brows were tense, as his eyes were a little scared. What had happened?

He took his left hand in his and ran his finger upon her fourth finger. He took a step back, and Hermione felt the sudden loss of heat in her body. The nervousness on his face did not leave his face and he pulled out a small velvet box from the pockets of his dress robes. Her eyes widened, not with fear, but excitement, as he bent down on one knee.

"Hermione, I know Dumbledore said that we didn't need to get engaged, as long as you wore a ring and told people that we were. But you don't deserve that Hermione. I know this wedding is not what you had wanted or planned. For knowing you, you have a plan, you always do," he said pausing. As she blushed once more, he pushed a stand of curly hair out of her face. "I love seeing you blush. It's one of the most beautiful things in the world, after the sound of your laughter, or the beauty you possess. Hermione, I now that this relationship was one that started off as something for publicity's sakes, but Hermione, I don't want that. You see, over these last few months, we've begun to get to know each other. And we haven't exactly known each other for that long, yet I feel closer to you than anybody else, including Blaise. Hermione, I've fallen madly in love with you, and every day that love just increases. And I promise you that I shall tell you that every day until I die. There's no one else that I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. So Hermione, will you marry me?"

Hermione never felt so much shock in her life. He loved her, he bloody loved her. Oh Merlin, he loved her! She bent down and kissed him heavily on the lips, as if she would never get the chance to kiss him ever again.

"Oh Draco," She said softly. "You have no idea how much I love you. I can try and use my brain and logic to try and come up with a million different reasons why I shouldn't and don't, but every time I try, it fails miserably. Draco I love you too, and would love to marry you."

He slipped the ring on her finger, but Hermione didn't bother looking at it. There would be plenty of time for that later. He got up off his knees and spun her around in the air, before giving her a deep kiss. Oh how Hermione hoped that the night would never end.

* * *

**A/N: **He finally proposed! I know you guys have been waiting for that to happen for a while, so I hope I gave the scene justice. Once again, thanks for your reviews!


	23. The Announcement

**Chapter 22**

The two of them stayed outside for a while longer, just locked up in each other's arms. Draco bent down to Hermione's level and placed a soft, but passionate kiss upon her lips. She kissed him back with just as much enthusiasm before pulling away again from him slightly. Draco looked at her questioningly.

"We've been out here for so long and people may have wondered where we disappeared off too. We should go back in and tell everyone," she said, and Draco knew she didn't want to leave either. He placed another quick kiss on her lips before wrapping an arm around her waist.

As the two of them proceeded back inside, they were swarmed by the Weasley family. Draco felt a rush of panic flow through his body. While the Weasley's loved Hermione, they hated Malfoys. He was a bit unsure of how to act around them. But to his surprise, not a single one of them had a look of animosity in their eyes. As they came up to the pair, they all began to hug them and welcome Draco into the family. Draco felt the shock as he was accepted into their arms warmly. He didn't deserved for them to forgive him so casually. But here they were, acting as if Draco was their own kin. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione began a conversation about her new life, and Draco saw the look of happiness light up her face.

No one in the family noticed the ring though, and Draco felt a bit of relief. He wanted no one to know until the official announcement was made at midnight, which was barely ten minutes from that point.

"You do deserve it Draco Malfoy. You deserve to be forgiven, for you have done nothing wrong. I don't want to catch you thinking it again," she said as if she could read his mind. She placed a deep kiss on his lips. Merlin, the lady knew how to make him feel better. He knew he needed to do whatever was necessary to protect her tonight if it came to that.

Ginny looked over at that point and stared at Hermione's finger briefly before whispering something into Harry's ear. When Harry looked over, he smiled at them and raised the glass he was holding into the air. Draco returned his smile. As he turned to his new fiancé, he caught her smiling at the exchange. She wrapped her arms around him softly and nuzzled her head into his chest.

His mother now was dancing in a more intimate way with Severus. She looked truly happy since the days of the war. While he knew she loved Lucius, she hadn't felt anything for him for years. She confessed to him after the war that she only stayed with him for Draco's sake, for she felt for his safety. His mother had given up so much for him, and now it was his turn to make sure his mother was happy. Severus had always been more of a father to him than Lucius could ever be, and he felt a great happiness inside of him at the thought of them being together.

Draco looked at the clock again; it was now eleven fifty five. It was time to make the official announcement. He kissed her softly once more before pulling away and going to the centre of the room.

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione smiled at her fiancé a he made his way to the centre of the room. She loved calling him her fiancé. It seemed more official than simply calling him her boyfriend.

As he amplified his voice, he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Hello once again, I'm very sorry to interrupt your night. I just wanted to take this chance to thank you all for being here tonight. You see, today was the first official ball that we've had in this Manor since the old days. And the reason for this ball was once of great joys," Draco said. Hermione love how the audience seemed to take immediately to him.

At that moment a wizard appeared next to her. Hermione recognised him as the Ministry of Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt. She had not seen him since the last Auror get together, where she had been Ron's date. "Are you enjoying yourself Miss Granger?" the Minister asked her in a friendly manner. She had always liked Kingsley, so she did not mind his company. His presence went unnoticed to the rest of the room, and Hermione assumed it was because of Draco.

"Yes I am," she said with an inward smile, "How about you Minister?" At that point he flashed her a smile.

"You see, for the last few months, I've been seeing Miss Hermione Granger. And while we haven't known each other for all that long, it seems like I've known her for my entire life. She is amazing in so many different ways, and if there is one thing the war has taught me, it's not to take anything for granted."

"Quite well," he told her. "It's not every day one gets to come to these sorts of events now is it?" he said, laughing at an inside joke which she did not get. She wanted to ask him what he was referring to, but she wanted to listen to what Draco was saying.

Hermione didn't know that the Minister would be coming that night, for Draco never mentioned him on the guest list. He just seemed like the kind of person you would mention is coming to a party, being the Minister of Magic and all. But she didn't think too much of it. He probably just responded late to the RSVP and Draco must not have had a chance to bring it up since then.

"Miss Granger, while I hate to ask this right now, Harry has requested to see you about something. He said he could not tell me, but if I told you then you would know exactly what it meant," Kingsley said in a serious tone that she dared not question.

Hermione felt her pulse race. She looked around the room to see where Harry was, but to her shock he was not in the room. Lucius must have been spotted! She discreetly left the ball while all eyes were turned to Draco. When she tried to mouth to him that she had to leave, he was not looking in her direction. He would just have to find out later.

He escorted her to the garden outside and she stood there looking at him in shock. "Kingsley, where am I supposed to meet Harry?" she asked, feeling a bit confused. There was no one outside, and while it seemed pleasant when Draco was with her, it seemed more scary now that she was without him.

"Tonight was also a special night for another reason," Hermione heard Draco's voice echo. "You see, tonight I asked her to do me the honour of marrying me, and she agreed. Hermione, can you come to the stage?" She knew that everyone would be looking at the spot where she stood a few minutes earlier, to find it now empty.

She looked up at Kingsley for an answer. To her terror, his face transformed to that of Lucius Malfoy. Before she could so much as scream, he grabbed her arm and they apparated away from the ball; the only place where someone could have helped her.


	24. The Captors

**Chapter 24**

Draco felt a sinking feeling in his chest. As soon as the spotlight fell to the place where Hermione had been standing moments earlier, he knew something was wrong. No one in the crowd noticed, for they thought she had just left momentarily. He made a quick joke out of it and let them all resume their previous activities. The fewer who knew she was missing, the better. The last thing he wanted now was a panic, for that would not help anything.

He felt like punching himself in the gut. Why had he left her? Why couldn't he have brought her up with him? They took the one chance they had when she was on her own and grabbed her. And now she was gone, Merlin knows where. His eyes scanned the room quickly to see if there were any traces of her left. He ran out of the room as quickly as he could without making a scene and began searching everywhere. She had to be somewhere! Damn Lucius. He would take the one thing that Draco had grown fond of, just has he had taken everything he ever loved.

"Spread out." He said to the gathered group of Aurors. "Find anything she may have left behind." He pointed to a pair of Aurors left of him. "You two, I want you to subtly ask any of the guests if they say what was happening to Hermione moments before she was taken."

He began to look for any clues; anything in the slightest that Hermione might have used to indicate where she was. He had to find her. He just needed to. He paced around the room before returning to the ball. As the night grew old he knew that his guests would be leaving soon, so he would have to send them off. The sooner they were gone, the sooner they could look around without having to be so discreet about it.

He looked over at his mother. While she seemed a bit confused, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Thank goodness. He didn't want his mother to relive the many days of abuse Lucius had given her. Hopefully Severus could keep her occupied long enough so that she would not find out the events occurring.

He took another walk around the parameter as he sighed frustrated. Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights? He was finally happy with Hermione, even thankful to Dumbledore for having arranged the marriage unity. And now she had been abducted. Did the entire bloody universe hate him? He returned to the Manor, ready to regroup the forces and see what they each came up with.

Harry and Ginny ran up to him at that moment. They had the same look of worry written on both of their faces. In their hands they held a familiar looking ring. It was the same one that he had given her a short while ago. "We've searched the entire grounds for her. Hermione has been taken."

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione woke up, and found herself tied to a chair. She couldn't even remember going unconscious. She felt a rush of panic flow through her body. Would Draco know where she was? Speaking of which, where was she? She looked around the room, and saw a dungeon type layout. The room was very musky and filled with darkness, except for a single candle lit on what Hermione presumed was a table. The room also had a very dark aura to it.

She tried to use a wandless spell to free herself. She had come to learn it during the war on those nights where there was never anything else to do. Unfortunately she had not become good enough to use it in the final battle, but since then she had been practicing constantly. She cast several spells on the ropes binding her to no prevail. Whatever was holding her in place was extremely dark magic. She wanted to yell out in frustration, but did not. For she did not want her captor to know she was awake yet.

She suspected for a while that Lucius was not alone. While they knew that another wizard or witch helped him escape, she knew that it was more than that. Lucius might have a reason to go after Hermione, but the second person is the one who worried her the most. Whoever it was wanted something from her, and must have hated her an awful lot to kidnap her.

If Hermione was one thing, it was well liked. Not many people met her without liking her. Hermione prided herself on it because she went out of her way to make sure that people liked her, and helped them as often as she could. So who could hate her so much that they possibly wanted her dead?

While she knew it was important to find out the identity of her other captor, she knew that she must also be thinking of ways to get out of the room. She looked around it, but this time instead of a captor, she looked around for opportunities that she could take and different scenarios that she could use to get her to them. Her mind raced as hundreds of different possibilities flowed through her brain. Most of them were extremely risky and depended on certain factors to go the way she planned for them to.

Her mind was suddenly cut of in mid process. She heard a single set of footsteps approaching rapidly. She wanted to pretend to still be out of it, but she knew that no good would come of it. The only way she could truly assess her surroundings was if could try and get some information out of them.

The door opened and Hermione found herself looking at the same platinum hair of the man she loved; so only Lucius was here. She couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment, but she let it go quickly. She would use Lucius to try and find out as much as she could. She quickly placed a look of sacredness upon her face. She needed him to believe she was weak and fragile for this to work.

"Awake I see," his voice smirked. She let out a moan of pain to help sell her to him. He laughed evilly as he bought her act.

"Why are you doing this?" she said with a sob. "What have I done to you?" She let a few tears flow down her face.

"Isn't it obvious _mudblood_? Because I don't want what's left of my family's name to be tarnished. The Malfoys always have and always will be purebloods. So don't think a little whore like you can come along and tarnish the name. I don't care if my pathetic wife accepts you. Narcissa was always weak to begin with. But with you dead here, then Draco can marry a pureblood just as he was intended to," He said. As he walked up to her, he spat on her.

He stepped backward and pulled out his wand from his cloak. "Don't worry mudblood, it will be quick and painless," he said tauntingly. "And do you know what the best part of this is? That with one of the Golden Trio murdered, the world will plunge back into its state of darkness and the pureblood society will rise once more."

Hermione cringed. This was not going according to plan. At this rate, she would be dead before the sun rose.

"Avada Ked-," He shouted before getting hit in the chest with a stunning spell.

"That was not part of the plan traitor," yelled out a silhouette. Hermione knew that this was the second captor, and unfortunately she recognised his voice.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you guys for your reviews again, I love reading them. If you guys were wondering why Hermione acted this way in the chapter, it is because the type of person I see as Hermione is not one that would sit around a dungeon waiting to be rescued, but one who would fight back for her life. So if it is off for some of you then I'm sorry for that.


	25. Her Plan

**Chapter 25**

Hermione felt her heart sink as she saw her second captor. Out of all the people it could have been, why did it have to be him? She knew he probably didn't particularly like her at the moment; after all he had been responsible for her kidnapping. But she had hoped; and for one second she dared to think that maybe he still cared enough about her not to get mixed up with Lucius. Why did it have to be Ron? Out of all the people who hated her, she would never have imagined that he was mixed up in any of this.

He was Ronald Weasley; the kid who could barely kill spiders. He cried with her at the death of Dobby and at what they thought was the death of Buckbeak. He had always been the calmer one, who never hurt anyone without having to. Granted he was thick at times and often did something before thinking it through, but he had never been this violent or unstable. Yet here he was, wand in his hand, possibly to kill her himself. She tightened her eyes before opening them again. This was going to be a lot trickier than she had initially anticipated.

"That wasn't part of the deal Malfoy. You were to bring her here, away from your son. And whatever I chose to do with her after that point was up to me, not you. You were to leave here right after and go see Draco," Ron said, his face turning crimson. She knew that look of irritation on his face when something wasn't going the way he wanted it to. He had his wand directed to face Lucius on the chest, and Lucius had redirected his attention from her to the new arrival to the room.

"Did you honestly think that once I got out of Azkaban I would allow this filth to live?" He spat out at Ron. "She brought down the Dark Lord, indirectly of course. And for that, she needs to be punished by death." She saw the look of contempt on Malfoy's face as he circled around her, like a vulture to his prey. The look was similar to the one Draco used to wear when speaking to her. But since the war, she had not seen the look once. "Don't worry, after I'm done, you will join your precious mudblood in death."

She saw Ron's face grow pale white. She knew that he was in deeper than he had hoped to be. She almost felt a bit of pity towards her former fiancé, but that was erased as she felt anger course through her veins. "Why did you have to be so stupid!" she wanted to yell out. "Couldn't you have thought of a simpler, less risky way of getting me alone? Did you have to spring the most deadly Death Eater still alive out of Azkaban?"

"No Malfoy," he hissed back. "I think you'll find that you will neither Hermione nor I shall be dying today. I am a fully trained Auror, and am quite capable of taking you down myself," Ron said with a sneer.

Hermione couldn't hold herself back from retorting. "_Were_ Ronald, honestly. You need to learn how to use proper grammar. I believe that the word that you are looking for is were, not am. You _were_ an Auror, but then you got fired remember? Honestly, you never seem to remember anything do you? No wonder you did so poorly in school." She didn't know what possessed her to speak like that to him. She hadn't had any smart remarks with him since before the war. After it ended, if she ever tried anything along the lines of how she just spoke, she would have gotten beat by him. But he didn't scare her, not anymore. And she wasn't going to stand there while Lucius and he quarrelled for her life.

"How dare you speak back to me?" He said enraged. He walked up to her and stared her right in the eyes with his arm raised in the air as if to slap her across the face. She stared back at him equally, as if to say "Go on, I dare you. Try and hit me you coward." It must have had an effect on him, for he lowered his arm, and walked away while glaring at her.

"I see you are still weak to the mudblood's words," Lucius said with a smirk plastered upon his evil face. "How am I supposed to take you seriously if you cannot even keep a lowly menace like her in line? Now Miss Granger, do you have anything else to say, or can I go back to proceeding to kill you?" He looked at her with a smug look. He must not have expected her to take him up on his offer, for when she did he was at a loss of words.

Hermione figured that this was as good as a time to ask questions as any. "Actually I do have a few questions for you Lucius. How did you escape from Azkaban? And once you did, why did you still decide to work with Ron here? I know you could have kidnapped me without him, for I am quite certain he had nothing to do with it. In fact, a man with your skill would never even see his talents as something you need. So why do you keep him around?" she asked him.

"It was rather simple actually. When Ron accosted me in Azkaban, the guards had not even realised that he was a wanted man yet. He simply showed them his Auror badge and they led him straight to me. Once he saw me we talked briefly, deciding to work together. His badge was also enough to get me straight out of Azkaban as well, for they thought I simply was being further questioned," Lucius told her. So that was how he did it, Ron's badge had yet to be deactivated, so they believed everything that happened.

"You were right about one thing Granger. I do not need him. Since I walked out of those doors I did not need him. But I let him think I did, for what better way to keep him around when it was time to kill him. I suppose I could have killed him straight away, but I rather wanted to see the pained look on his face when he saw what would happen to him when he made a deal with the master of manipulation."

"But why did you take me?" she asked. "Why not simply visit your son? I know you wanted to kill me, but this method you are using is hardly wise. After all, do you know how many Aurors were there tonight? And now, because of my absence, they will all be looking for me. How does that make you feel Mr. Malfoy, to know that while you may succeed tonight in killing me, you will still be caught and sent right back to Azkaban where you belong?"

Her words had an effect on him as well. At the thought of returning back to Azkaban his face paled. But he quickly turned his fear into anger, as Malfoys did so well. He walked right up to her at that point and slapped her straight across the face. "Don't you ever speak to me like that you stupid little mudblood. Do not forget your place in this world you piece of scum. I will wipe you from the face of this world, leaving nothing of you behind," He said with a scornful look upon his foul face.

So now she knew how he had gotten out. That was good, very good indeed. As Ronald continued to squabble with Lucius, Hermione cast a wandless vanishing spell on a cup on the table. To her amazement the cup vanished! That meant that Hermione could cast wandless spells, as long as they didn't free her from the chair. She cast a quick patronus charm before turning her attention to the duel that was about to take place for the control of her life.

**~DM&HG~**

Draco sat in the chair of his office while the other Aurors began telling him what they had found. It was all useless. The few that had seen her moments before saw her talking to Kingsley, but the minute Draco began his speech, they had turned their attention off of them. It was almost as if a spell had been placed so that they did turn away from the pair. Whatever Lucius was planning, it was definitely well thought out. He had caught all the tiny flaws in his plan and prepared for them. One thing didn't add up thought. Kingsley was a strong wizard, so how had Lucius managed to gain one of his hairs? There was no way one could simply sneak up on the Ministry of Magic unannounced.

What was even more troublesome was that no one saw her leave the room. Nor were there any other clues about where she might have been taken after she left the ball. Draco pounded his fist into the desk angrily. This was all his fault, and now she was going to die because of him.

He held the ring in his finger as he began to play with it worriedly. Where were you Hermione? He wanted her to be safe, and out of his evil father's clutches. The last thing he wanted was her to die by his father's hands.

Harry had sent two Aurors off to find out what had happened to Kingsley. They had not yet returned, but had sent back message about his whereabouts. He and the Auror around him had been stunned at locked in their office. They were still out of it when the pair sent had burst in. As they investigated, they found that the Auror had been placed under the Imperius curse. While he had been trained to through it off, it had been quite strong. They had made sure that the Minister was alright before returning to the room to help once more.

A bright white light shot through the room and an otter materialized in front of Draco.

"Merlin's beard," Harry muttered. "That's her patronus. Wherever Hermione is, she's sent us a message." Harry stood up at the thought of it. "She's done it, she must have." When all the others in the room stared at him questioningly he answered, "Hermione probably doesn't have her wand on her, after all she has been taken as a captive. But she's brilliant, if nothing else. And for the last several months she has been working on using wandless magic. She must have finally managed it, for she sent us a message."

Draco smiled at the thought of his fiancé's brilliance. She wasn't the brightest of them all for no reason, and if anyone would be able to figure out how to do such a feat, it would be her.

"Follow the ring," the otter spoke in Hermione's voice. The otter's voice echoed throughout the room before vanishing into the air. Draco felt his heart leap a little at the sound. It meant that wherever she was, she was still alive; at least for now. They would have to be quick, for she might not have much longer.

Follow the ring; follow the ring the otter had said. But what did that mean? Draco contemplated over it for a good ten minutes before jumping out of his chair. He knew how to find her!

"Hermione, you are absolutely brilliant. You didn't leave the ring behind by accident. You left it so we could trace it back to you no matter where you were taken," Draco said with realization. He knew how he would find Hermione, and once he did, he would make sure that no one would ever hurt her again.

No one messed with Draco Malfoy and what he loved. And he was about to make sure that his dear old father knew that just as well as the rest of the world had come to know.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, that was a really long chapter, so hope you guys enjoyed that. I know that many of you have asked why the chapters are rather short, so I decided to address it to you. I am currently taking a summer course to get a head for next year, and that prevents me from having a lot of time. However I still want to update every day, so the chapters become rather short. I'll try to keep them as long as possible. Once again, thank you for your wondrous reviews, you guys are absolutely amazing.


	26. Figuring Out The Clue

**Chapter 26**

Hermione closed her eyes. She hoped that Draco had received her message. It wouldn't be long now before she met her death. It seemed that Lucius decided that it would be best to kill Ron first, or at the least weaken him. He had been hit constantly by curses and other dark magic. While he was powerful enough to block of some of the spells, he was up against Lucius Malfoy, and in comparison to that, he was nothing. Even after all the pain he had put her through in the past, she felt sadness still rush over her as she saw her former friend and fiancé lay on the ground, rolling back and forth in pain.

They had been at it for the last half hour and she knew that he would not be able to put up with it for much longer. While he had been the reason that she was there in the first place, she still wanted him to make it out alive. He would probably be locked up for a little while, but at least he would still be alive.

She wanted to cry. All she wanted was one night with Draco to be happy. She was finally happy, and of course someone would try and take it away from her! Was it too much to ask for, to be put first and be made happy? All she wanted was to curl up in Draco's arms like she did every night now. But she knew that she had to be strong; for if she showed a single sign of weakness, Lucius would use it to his advantage. And just like that, she would find herself on death's door.

"Hurry up Draco" she whispered out.

**~DM&HG~**

"Follow the ring," Draco thought. It had been half an hour since the message had arrived. While he knew what he needed to do, he wasn't sure of how exactly he was going to find her. Draco was a smart person; after Hermione, he was the smartest in their year. But that was exactly it; he wasn't Hermione. He paced around in frustration. He knew that patronus charms could only carry short messages, and that Hermione was already using most of her energy to cast that spell, but he couldn't help but wish she had said something a little more descriptive.

Dumbledore had been with them until they reached the message, but he had to leave to find Kingsley. Since he possessed no hair on his head, Dumbledore feared that he may have be disfigured a body part. After all, all one needed was a bit of the person that they were turning into. But Dumbledore hadn't left them without any hope. He told them that Narcissa was also the brightest of her age, much to Draco's surprise. So if anyone would know, it would be her. But Draco felt torn on the inside. On one hand, he needed to protect his mother from pain and grief, but if he didn't, then there was a chance that Hermione might die. He would have to tell his mother the truth, no matter how badly he wanted to hide the truth from her.

As if on cue, his mother came into the study. "Draco, I know you are on a top secret Auror mission and need to concentrate on that, but I was wondering if you have seen Hermione. I haven't seen her after the ball ended, and I wanted to congratulate her," his mother said. While her words had one intention, her face had another. She knew that something was up, and looked at him hoping he would tell her.

Draco felt his face loose colour as he stared his mother in the eyes. "Mother, there's something I need to tell you," he said. He grabbed her hands and sat her down in the arm chair. "Mother, Lucius has escaped from Azkaban, and now he's taken Hermione." Draco said, trying to sound as calm as possible. In reality he wanted to act as a small child once more and have her hug him as he cried in her arms. But he had grown up and now was hardly the time to cry.

She looked at him sadly. "I feared that this would happen. I was wondering when he would manage to escape. I knew the minute they put him in a low security cell and claimed he was simply unstable, he would manage to find a way to escape." Even though Draco had not voiced his wish, she still pulled him into a tight embrace.

He felt himself come close to breaking down. But he kept his composition, for it was what the situation needed. All he wanted was to sit there all day while his mother told him that it would be okay. But he knew that it wouldn't be that easy. "Don't worry, we'll find Hermione sweetie. Do you have any leads?" she asked him.

Draco pulled out the engagement right that once belonged to his great grandmother and placed it in her hands. "Hermione left it behind on the grounds and she sent a patronus a while ago saying to follow the ring. The only problem is that I do not know the tracking spell one would use to do so," he said discouraged. "I can't leave her there Mother, not with him. I have to help her, and she needs me to. But I cannot even figure out a single tracking spell."

He heard his mother gasp in shock, after of course giving him a scolding look at his insults to himself. "Hermione's brilliant," she said, as if Hermione continued to amaze her. "Draco I know of such a spell! It follows the possession to the last person who owned it, and since you gave it to her, it is her property! She knew that we would be able to use her ring to track us right to her exact location."

Draco stood up in shock. Dumbledore was right, his mother was extremely intelligent. Not that he doubted it for a second. He quickly assembled Harry and the other Aurors. As they ran into the room, they began to assemble in a circle around Narcissa, waiting to hear the plan. As Draco filled them in, their eyes all widened in shock; clearly they all thought Hermione was brilliant as well.

She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the ring. "Invenire Possessorem," She said. The ring began to glow a bright golden colour, before turning into a large ball surrounding the room's occupants. The next thing they knew, they were outside a warehouse in what Draco knew was Knockturn Alley. It figured that his father would be there.

They began to pull out their wands and place silencing charms around themselves so Lucius would not see them coming.

Draco pulled his mother aside. "You don't have to go in there Mother; we can take care of them. I don't want you to have to see him again, not after he had treated you in the past," he said to her softly.

She gave him a sad smile. "Draco, it is time that we both saw your father once more. We cannot keep living in fear of the things that he has done to us in the past. We need to face him or we shall both forever be living in fear. Don't forget, out of everyone here I know him the best," she said. Draco knew that his mother loved him deeply and he felt great compassion toward her. Sure sometimes she was a little excessive about it, but he couldn't imagine life without her. He nodded at her, and they cast a silencing spell over themselves.

As they walked through the building, they kept themselves on high alert, listening for any indication about where Lucius and whoever helped him escape may be. Draco only hoped that it wasn't too late for Hermione.

"I don't care that you did get me out of Azkaban you blood traitor!" Draco heard a familiar voice yell out. "Don't you get it you moron? I played you both! I used you to get her, and once you both are dead I shall see to it that Harry Potter dies as well."

The heard several curses being yelled out and cries of pain and agony. Draco looked at Harry. Could the second captive be who he thought it was?

They ran towards the yelling. As they approached, they saw Ron on the ground and Draco saw Harry gasp. It was lucky for them that they were silenced, or they would have been found out immediately.

"I-I won't let- you- hurt 'Mione," Ron spat out through gasping breaths. Draco knew that his father had done quite a number on him. If it weren't for the fact that Hermione had been kidnapped because of him, then he might almost pity him.

He cast a stunning spell at his father, but to his shock, he easily deflected it. "Ah Draco, I was wondering when you would come." he sneered. "And look at that, you brought Harry Potter right to me! Now I can kill the _Golden Trio_ all at once!"

Draco clenched his teeth before spitting out, "You won't win this time Father, I won't allow you to kill anyone."

"We shall see about that," Lucius said, before killing one of the Aurors in the room.

In a matter of seconds chaos had broken out, as the Aurors scrambled all around the room, trying to duck for cover.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry this one wasn't as long as yesterdays. To start off, once again I wanted to thank you for continuing to read this story. Next thing, a few of you were wondering about Kingsley and the polyjuice potion. While hair is the most common material used, you only need a bit of the person you wish to turn into. Second, I made up the tracking spell by translating something into latin, because I could not find one when looking it up.


	27. Battles Worth Fighting For

**Chapter 27**

After the Auror had fallen, it had left five Aurors in the room, including Draco, and his mother. Lucius laughed as the Auror Draco knew to be Thomas, fell to the ground. The room had been in uproar, and Draco felt a bit of panic flow through him. He needed to be able to defeat his father here tonight, or risk the fact that he may never see his Hermione ever again, or even anyone else for that matter.

Ron was still on the ground, but his body had been gaining more strength by the second. Draco knew that it wouldn't be long now before he had gained back all his energy and once more became a threat. He knew never to underestimate and enemy, even one such as Ron, for in their unstable state they could become a deadly threat.

Draco immediately went for his father while the other three Aurors went for Ron. He saw Harry rush to Hermione and try and free her of her binds. He wanted to be the one who went up to her and helped her, but he knew that if he didn't go after his father, then he would never get to be with her again. His father seemed to be a bit surprised by the appearance of his ex-wife and son, but he didn't let it show for too long on his face.

"Father," Draco said addressing the man who stood before him. "Why have you taken Hermione? She has done nothing to you to deserve this! She has done nothing but care for me when very few people in the world still did. You do not have the right to treat her like this."

His father sneered at him. "Draco, falling for the mudblood I see. I had expected better from you, after all the lessons I thought you. But I suppose it doesn't surprise me. You were always weak Draco, and from the second you were born I knew that you would be a disappointment to me," His father said. He had never seen Lucius look so disgusted in his life.

"No father. I think you will find that you are the disappointment. For you see, you were never the father that a child deserved and I do not consider you to be anything to me but a blood relative which I cannot change," Draco said for the first time without fear of consequences.

"How dare you speak that way about me?" Lucius asked enraged. "I did everything for you! I pushed you to be the best, better than any mudblood or half-blood. I worked hard all my life to get into Voldemort's inner circle so you could be there to inherit the position once I had died! Everything I did was for you. I gave my life to you, and here you are, throwing it away for that _scum_."

Draco interrupted his father. "You did nothing for me. Everything you did was for self-preservation." When his father tried to interject Draco cut him off. "No father. For once in your life you will listen to what I have to say. You were not trying to help me ever. All you ever cared about was your own self. And don't you dare said that you cared about me. If you ever had cared about mother or me you would not have beat us daily to the point where out bruises began to bleed. You would not have broken any one of my bones a total of 427 times, and yes I did keep track. You would not have pushed your own son at the age of 16, to kill someone. You never cared about me father, and do not even try and deny it."

From the corner of his eyes he saw his mother smile. She had been standing close enough that she could take Lucius on with Draco if need be, but far enough to give Draco a chance to handle his father on his own. Lucius must have noticed her there for the first time, as his face turned red with anger at the sight of her.

"I always knew that you would wreck our son. From the moment you first coddled him after giving birth. You should have allowed me to raise him right, yet you always intervened while I was disciplining him. And now can you honestly say that you are happy with your son's outcome you stupid woman?" He said as he glowered at her.

"I am proud of the man my son has become. And don't you dare say otherwise about him. For far too long have we been standing aside and allowing for you to do just as you please; but no more Lucius. I talked the lawyers the other day and under the circumstances, they were more than happy to give me a divorce from you, with or without your consent," Narcissa said boldly.

Draco was shocked at these words. His mother never told him that she was planning such a thing. He felt proud at that moment to call the woman his mother, and she deserved better than the man before them.

"You whore! I knew all this time you have been screwing around with other men during our entire marriage. I should have just disposed of you after you gave me an heir. But I was generous to you. While I never loved you, I still allowed for you to live and to bear the Malfoy name. And what do I get as thanks? I get my stupid excuse of a wife to tell me she's leaving me! Well don't worry sweetheart, I wasn't faithful either. Where do you think I was during all my business trips? I was with other women you stupid witch," He said ferociously.

"Do not speak to Mother that way!" Draco yelled out. "She is in no way stupid. She is smarter than you'll ever know or could dream of being. Don't you dare undermine the person she is. And how dare you cheat on her? She has done nothing but be faithful to you throughout her entire marriage."

"Hush Draco," Narcissa said softly. "Do you honestly think I did not know that you spent all your nights in the arms of other women? I knew every single time that you left the house that you were with someone new. But I didn't care for a second. I was grateful, for it meant that I did not have to spend any more time with the likes of you. And I considered having an affair many, many times. But I always decided against it, for I knew better than to sink down to your level."

"How dare you!" Lucius raged. He yelled out in pure anger and raised his wand to attack the both, but they were prepared for him. Simultaneously, Narcissa and Draco shot out the most powerful (and legal) spells they knew at him before he even had a chance to speak a single spell.

Lucius fell to the ground in a thump. He was not dead, but simply unconscious. He spelled him with a binding charm so in case he came to, he would not be able to move from his spot. He felt satisfaction that his father would not be able to bother him once more.

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione saw Harry approach her. "Harry!" she said happily. She was unsure whether they would be able to figure out her message as she knew it had been rather vague. Hermione had been frightened that Lucius would have turned his attention to her instead of Ron, and kill her on sight.

He smiled at the sight of her, and she knew he was just as release. But then he frowned at the binding around her.

"Harry, I can't free myself from this. The magic is such that the captive cannot undo the spell. Harry, you need to use the spell Liberum to get me out of here," She said knowingly. Even in the state she was in, she had managed to keep track of the hostile conversation between Ron and Lucius enough to figure out the charm that had been placed upon her before the arrival of Harry and the others. She looked around the room and saw Draco confronting Lucius and felt herself worry for him.

Harry cast the spell on her and the ropes fell to shambles on the ground. She looked to see Ron back on his feet and the one Auror still fighting him. The other two had been knocked the ground, mainly because Ron deflected their curses enough so it rebounded onto them. She walked over to the table and picked up the wand, as she was now free to do so. Doing it any earlier would have attracted too much attention and she knew better than to do so.

Harry stopped her. "Hermione don't. I know you want to, but you have been tied up and are still weak from using all that wandless magic. Let us handle it," he told her gently, trying to get her to back down.

She shook her head at him. "No Harry. I need to do this. I need to confront him now or I will forever be living in fear of him and what he has done to me," she said trying to show him her logic. He looked at her sceptically, looking highly unconvinced. "If it makes you feel better you can stand next me and make sure that he does nothing to me."

She knew Harry didn't like it in the slightest, but he respected her and her decisions enough to let her do so.

She walked up the other place where the last Auror stood and faced the man who had been the source of her grief for so long. "Why did you do it?" she asked coldly. "Why did you arrange to have me abducted on the first day I felt love in so long? Is that what you wanted, to make sure I was never happy Ronald? Because it seems like that's just what you want."

He looked down at the ground ashamed. "I'm sorry 'Mione. I just wanted to show you that you were mine and that you didn't need Draco. After Lucius had kidnapped you, he was supposed to get Draco to feel ashamed enough to end it with you. And that was supposed to have you come back to me where you belong."

She laughed at him. "You bloody idiot!" she screeched. "You honestly do not think things through do you? You thought that you could simply spring Lucius from Azkaban and then he would allow you to go on doing whatever the bloody hell you pleased? You are so dense! Why would he allow the three people who brought down Voldemort to live? Not only have you put me in danger and yourself, but you also put Harry in danger!"

He opened his mouth to speak but then decided against it. Good, it was her turn to say everything to him that she has always wanted to.

"And you honestly think I would leave Draco for you? You, who have made my life nothing but miserable? You beat me Ron, and you abused me emotionally and almost sexually. You left me feeling all the time that I was worthless and that I didn't deserve anything. You made me feel useless to the point that I wondered why I was such a horrible person. Ronald you were the worst thing that happened to me. And you wanted to take Draco away from me? He who made me feel like I do deserve to be happy. He let me put myself first for once in my life and made me feel special and loved. Why would I want to end my happiness for more misery?"

He looked shocked, as if he didn't realise he had that impact on her. "But that's how you were supposed to act! And Hermione, no matter how many guys you screw around with, don't you forget on thing. You are mine, and you always will be mine!" he snarled at her.

"That's where you are wrong. I do not belong to you, nor will I ever belong to you. Remember that next time you try to make me end up with you."

He looked more angry than he ever had in his life. "Well then I have no choice. If I cannot have you Hermione Granger, then I shall make sure no one ever will! Avada kede-"

Harry raised his wand quickly to stop what was about to happen, but Ron had been cut short. Hermione had not only removed his wand from him, but also knocked him out with a single movement of her wand.

She looked down at him sadly before saying, "I'm sorry it had to be this way Ron."

Harry brought her tightly into his arms and allowed her to shed a few tears before she hastily pulled away and searched the room for Draco. She needed to make sure that he was okay after dealing with Lucius. Dear Merlin, let him not be dead.

He had watched the entire exchange after the fall of his father a few short minutes ago. His face was full of worry and concern. Once she saw him, Hermione ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly with one arm on her waist and the other on the back of her head, clutching her hair. He pulled her in as tight as he could before pulling her apart slightly to be able to kiss her softly but fervently.

"Don't you dare leave me again," He whispered softly to her as she snuggled into his chest.


	28. The Next Few Weeks

**Chapter 28**

Hermione sat back on her bed and closed her eyes as she thought of the events of the past month.

The last few weeks had flown by so quickly for both Hermione and Draco. So much had happened in so little time that it seemed like a blur to Hermione. She had been so overwhelmed with everything from work, to the re-trial of Lucius, to Ron's trial, and then on top of that there were also the wedding preparations that needed to happen. She had no idea how to handle anything anymore and was so grateful to have Draco help her out in any way that she needed.

No one knew what happened that night, except for the few people who were there and the people whom it concerned. As far as they knew the biggest thing that happened to Hermione and Draco was their engagement. Once again she found herself with Draco on the cover of every single witch magazine there was, even those of foreign countries. People were even calling it the wedding of the century, which was hard to imagine, seeing that there were 98 years' worth of weddings that had occurred in the past. She found herself get nervous about all the attention they were getting. She knew it was the point of the wedding, and that they should be out in the public as much as possible, but she hated the idea that they wanted every single intimate detail of her life. Especially how good he was in bed.

The first time someone asked her that was a reporter. She flushed at the suggestion and didn't know how to respond. While she had started spending all her nights in the Malfoy Manor, and mainly in his bed, she never once thought about being intimate with him that way. And if Draco wanted to do those sort of things with her, then he never once asked her if she wanted to. She wasn't ready to have intercourse with a man until she was married, and he had respected that.

But unfortunately the public weren't so understanding. While many pried into their lives trying to find out the juicy details, others, such as Rita Skeeter, had sunk to new lows and made up tales of their intimate moments. Hermione grew so weary of the bat, to the point where she had given up on her promise to the reporter and turned her in herself. After all, unregistered animagus' were looked down upon. She never forgot the smirk upon Draco's face when he learned that his precious Hermione, who was so pure and untainted, had blackmailed someone. He made jokes about it for days before Hermione threatened to punch him again as she did back in third year. That shut him up good.

The trial had been especially hard on the Weasley family. It was hard enough on them that they almost lost Percy and Fred, but when this happened with Ron they were all surprised. Hermione had to sit them all down with Harry and Ginny and tell them the truth of what happened in their relationship, and how it had led to him kidnapping her. She had feared that they wouldn't believe her because he was their son, but to her relief they all did. They had noticed that ever since the war had ended he had gained a temper with anyone who made him cross. They all offered her sincere apologies on his behalf. She knew that Ron would be getting the worst of his punishment from his mother. When she went to the hospital to visit him, the two Aurors standing guard had had to leave their positions from his door had had to leave from the fear of her wrath. Several floors of the hospital that day had heard Ron getting deeply scolded by his mother and no one wanted to get in her way.

His punishment was still a fluctuating one for a while. The judge had been waiting until he got out of the hospital to make the final verdict. While he was in the hospital the healers had done a physiological test upon him and had come to the conclusion that he had a type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the war which had led to his violent tendancies. It hadn't meant that the judge gave him any sympathy though. As far as they were concerned, Ron was still guilty and everyone had agreed to that. He had been given fifteen months of time in Azkaban and in addition to that he would have to spend the next three years going to both therapy and anger management classes after he was done his time. He also was not permitted to go anywhere near Hermione unless she insinuated the contact.

As far as Hermione was concerned, this was exactly what he deserved. She was glad that he didn't get a long sentence and also felt a bit of guilt about his disorder, but she didn't sway in her opinion. Ron needed her help. Maybe one day they could be friends again, but not until he had been released from Azkaban and gone through the therapy to the point where she saw a change. If it every did happen, it wouldn't be for many years to come, and Hermione had come to accept that. She hated the idea of losing a friend, but in this case, it really was for the best.

Lucius Malfoy had not been so lucky with his sentence. While he only had a fifty year sentence prior to his actions, it had been now raised to three life sentences. It hadn't helped that he kidnapped one of the Golden Trio, but the new testimonies from his ex-wife and son had in no way benefited him. They had come forward and told the jury about the large deals of domestic violence they both received from him when living with him, and Hermione had vouched for them saying that she heard him blatantly laugh about it during the meeting with him. They hadn't even hesitated once before sentencing him to life.

Hermione had figured one thing out after the incident. While she loved her job, there was simply not enough action to it or enough brain use. While she still needed to remember all the different disorders, it was merely memorization at this point and was no real work. After telling Harry of her problem he had given her an interesting solution to her worry. After his promotion had become official he had given her a job with the aurors. She was to serve as a medical consultant as well as help them on any of the strategizing with the missions. Draco had been so glad to see her join his department that he spent the entire day with her and telling her repeatedly how much he was looking forward. Secretly she thought it was just so they could sneak in snogging sessions every now and then at work. When she told him that, he looked at her in mock surprise and pretended that the thought never crossed his mind. She punched him playfully on the arm and he smirked at her. She enjoyed her new job, for it still allowed for her to use her healer abilities but also to use logic. And every so often she would join them on missions which were less dangerous. Draco wouldn't allow for her to go on anyone where there was a risk of injury and frankly she had been relieved. While she was still a war heroine, she preferred the sidelines instead of being right in the centre of attention.

Things were going well with Draco. They no longer had to pretend to care for each other in public and it was now a lot cosier between the two of them. They had gotten accustomed to one another's presence and had gotten used to each other's strange behaviours. Hermione found herself often lecturing him on the usage of a toothbrush and floss, neither which he had ever heard of before. He simply cast a spell on his teeth and they were automatically clean. She had added several of her muggle devices to his home which absolutely flabbergasted him. He knew muggles had it quite hard, but he never knew the exact extent of it. But they were certainly rather interesting people. And he found someone who shared his interest in muggles.

At a Weasley Sunday dinner, he had gotten talking to Arthur Weasley and the two of them had immediately began bonding on the strange appliances found in muggle households. The favourite of the two of them was the thing called the telly. They found it the weirdest thing that moving pictures told entire stories with dialog and that you could stop it, go back, or go forward! And the even more shocking thing was that the people in the box couldn't hear them talk. It was also a surprise when they found out that other people could get the same picture on their telly, and that one could change what was on the telly! Hermione and Harry simply rolled their eyes at the pair.

It was at that point when Ginny turned her attention to Hermione and began asking her about the wedding details. To Hermione's uttermost shock, she hadn't even begun planning the wedding! They had already been together for three months at this point which left nine months for her to get married and then later pregnant. She knew Dumbledore would understand if she wasn't pregnant right away but it was what she wanted. She and Draco had both wanted a family together, and they preferred to start sooner rather than later.

Ginny had then decided to take it upon herself to plan Hermione's wedding and Hermione couldn't be more grateful. She would be meeting with Narcissa though. Hermione knew that the pair would get along fine, but was worried about what it meant for her. She knew she would get the final say on all matters, but still couldn't help but worry that the two would make it over the top. Both of them lived with the motto 'the bigger the better' and that was exactly what she was afraid of happening.

"You alright?" Draco asked her, bringing her out of her memories of the past several months. He was sitting next to her in bed and reading some sort of broom catalogue, as if he didn't have enough already. She kissed him softly on the cheek before replying.

"Perfect," she said content. She placed her head against his chest and returned to reading her book.

* * *

**A/N:** Not sure what to make of that last chapter. There were so many loose ends that I wanted to sum up nicely in one little chapter, so hoped you guys liked that. This fanfic isn't quite over yet, as they do actually need to get married, seeing that it is a take on the marriage law. But sadly it will be coming to an end soon. But if you guys have any requests for oneshots or for my next story that I will begin planning out quite shortly, please do let me know. Thanks again for your reviews, you guys are incredibly amazing.


	29. The Dress, The Best Man&The Night Before

**Chapter 29**

Hermione tried on what seemed like the four hundredth dress. Nothing seemed right for her. The dresses were all lovely, so more extravagant than the others, but nothing fit her. She looked at herself in the mirror in the latest dress she was wearing and sighed in frustration.

Ginny had been sitting in the arm chair close to the dressing rooms and looked up from the magazine that she was reading. One look at the hideous dress Hermione was wearing, and she burst out into laughter.

"Ginevra Weasley, do you find my misery happy? Because I assure, it is anything but happy. And I swear by Merlin, if the next dress I try on is anything less than perfect then I will show up to my own wedding in nothing but slacks!" Hermione yelled out her friend.

Ginny got out of her chair and hugged the close to tears brunette. There had been so much pressure on the wedding now and Hermione wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it. Everything needed to go absolutely perfect and there was no room for faults of any sorts. The media would have a field day if anything out of the ordinary would happen.

The wedding had probably been one of the fastest thrown together things Hermione had ever seen. But according to Draco, in Pureblood societies, weddings were often planned about a month in advance purely because the magic helped reduce the amount of time everything took. They were set to get married a month after they announced they were engaged, which was one month and a day from the incident with Ron.

Narcissa and Ginny really had taken over for everything, seeing that they knew she was stressed enough. They would only ask her about something, and then show her what happened after they planned with her consent. So far Hermione loved everything they had done, from the flowers to the venue. Hermione had wanted to get married at the Malfoy Manor simply because so much had happened there and it seemed only fitting. Of course when she told Narcissa, she had begun to cry happily at the suggestion.

"You could always show up in your knicker's. I'm sure that Draco would love that," Ginny said with a smirk.

Hermione felt her face grew red, but she still laughed along with her friend. It didn't bother her so much anymore with all the talk about intimacy, but it still often made her feel a tad bit embarrassed.

At that moment Narcissa came back into the room carrying a dress in her arms. Hermione took one look at it and gasped. "Where did you get that from?" she asked with confusion.

Narcissa smiled at her. "It's a part of next year's collection and hasn't been made available to the public yet. As of this moment, it is the only copy of the dress available in the world."

"Then how were you able to get it from them?" she asked again.

"The family name has gotten most of its glory back, and it doesn't help that Hermione Granger is the one who wants to purchase the dress. They know that if they agree to sell it to us now, then by time the dress becomes available to the public it will be very high in demand, simply because you were the one who wore it.

Hermione took the dress and tried it on in the dressing room before gasping at her reflection. When she came out of the room she proudly stated, "I think I found the one!"

Ginny made a sarcastic joke about Hermione being unable to wear muggle clothing to the wedding of "the century".

The three of them purchased the dress, sadly with Malfoy money. Draco had threw a fit when he heard that Hermione wanted to split the costs of the wedding and made sure his mother went along with her to prevent it from happening. He had wanted to come along himself, but Hermione was set against him not seeing the dress until the wedding. The compromise had been for his mother to go along. Hermione was in no way happy, so Draco settled the matter by making his bank account a joint one, where both their savings, as well as his inheritance would be place. She still didn't like that most of the money was his, but it was a solution so she didn't complain.

As they left the shop Hermione felt a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that she still had a two weeks till her wedding and all she had left to do was write her vows.

**~DM&HG~**

Draco and Harry had been alone at work that day. He had been meaning to ask Harry something all day, but wasn't quite sure how to phrase it. He kept glancing at Harry, hoping that a way to start the conversation would arise somehow.

"For Merlin's sake Draco, you've been looking up at me every two minutes for the last three hours. Do you have something to say or something?" Harry asked him, somewhat exasperatedly.

Draco looked up at Harry. "Actually yes. Harry, I haven't exactly known you for a long time, but I was kind of hoping that you would be the best man at my wedding. I know I could ask Blaise, but it would mean a lot to me if you would, and I know it would mean a lot to Hermione as well."

Harry gave Draco a smile, "Sure I would mate, besides you're not that bad yourself," Harry said with a smirk on his face at the last part.

Draco rolled his eyes at Harry, "Oh shut up."

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione kissed Draco on the lips and wrapped her arms around his head. "Don't get too drunk tonight sweetie," she whispered to his.

"Mmm, I won't," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood like that kissing, until they heard coughing.

"Do you think they will go away if we ask them?" Draco wondered.

"Merlin, I hope so," she said bringing him into a deeper kiss.

"Malfoy, you are going with Harry right now. The whole point of this is that you guys get some time to enjoy the last moments of your uncommitted lives before you are married, and like it or not, you both will be doing this."

Hermione and Draco pulled apart hesitantly, both looking upset that they couldn't kiss anymore.

As Draco waited outside, Harry pulled out the two-way mirror and gave one to Hermione when Ginny's back was turned.

"Harry, you're giving me the mirror Sirius left for you? I can't accept this Harry," She said, astounded at the gesture.

"Think of it as a loan," he said. "You use it for tonight so you and Draco can check up on each other, and then after that you can give it back to me."

She smiled at him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before Ginny pushed him out the door.

**~DM&HG~**

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna sat on the floor of Hermione's apartment later on that night. They each were on their own mattress and were busy gossiping. While Ginny had wanted to spend the night out at several clubs, Hermione had flat out been against it. Instead she preferred taking them to dinner at her favourite restaurant then coming home and spending the night at her flat. Ginny was disappointed, but had to agree since it was Hermione wanted. Although Hermione was extremely grateful that she hadn't pulled out the maid of honour card and demanded that they go because it was her job to plan something for the night.

The sleepover had been mainly for memories sake. Even though she very rarely spend the night in her own flat anymore, it was the last night that it would be her flat. After the wedding they had decided that she would move into the Manor. While she loved her flat, she couldn't say that she wasn't excited to move in with Draco permanently.

"So Ginny, how's it going with Harry?" Hermione asked her ginger friend.

Ginny began to blush at that point and Hermione knew that she had been hiding something from her. "Ginny Weasley, you tell me right now what is happening!"

Ginny pointed to her ring finger and undid a concealment charm. There on her finger was an engagement ring!

"Ginny! You never told me he had proposed to you! I'm your best friend, why haven't you told me?" Hermione cried out.

Even Luna looked a little shocked by the ring, but stared at it dreamily before saying something about Nargles.

"He only just proposed," Ginny protested. "And we wanted to wait until after you got back from your honeymoon to tell you guys. We didn't want to steal your thunder just before your wedding!"

Hermione harrumphed at the suggestion. She wanted a little bit of thunder stolen, simply to reduce the amount of pressure she felt upon herself.

She gave her friend a quick hug and grabbed a bottle of champagne from her shelf. She poured the three of them glasses and they toasted. "To Ginny and Harry," Hermione and Luna chorused together. Ginny rolled her eyes before raising her glass to join them.

Just then they heard shouting coming from Hermione's purse. The three of them had been startled by it, but upon investigation Hermione found that it had been from the mirror Harry had lent her. While Ginny and Luna peered at it curiously, they quickly realised what they were seeing. Through the mirror, Hermione was witnessing a witch trying to seduce a very drunk Draco Malfoy.

Hermione felt her blood boil at the sight and wanted to go right over there and bring him back by the ear. It took both Ginny and Luna to calm her down.

"Just watch," Ginny said. "You don't know what he's going to do," she reasoned.

Hermione sat down on her mattress, holding the mirror and watching his actions closely.

They watched Draco make a fool of himself with Harry and Blaise, all of them obviously drunk. To their surprise, Neville was there as well, but he was perfectly sober, and trying to keep them all inline. But he was no match for the witch trying to seduce Draco.

She walked up to him and pulled him into a deep kiss, and Hermione felt her heart drop heavily. But then she saw Draco push her off of him in disgust. "Don't touch me!" he shouted. "The only person I will kiss is Hermione Granger! Because I love her, and she is sexier than you will ever be!" he yelled out looking even drunker than before. The witch gave him a disappointed look and went up to another wizard and began feeling him up.

Hermione felt herself blush at his comment, but was happy that he was still faithful to her, even when he wasn't in a thinking mindset. She placed down the mirror to allow Draco to enjoy his time without her watching, and the three friends begun to get ready for bed. After all, tomorrow was a very big day.


	30. The Wedding

**Chapter 30**

Hermione stared at herself in front of the mirror and saw the woman before her. If anyone had told her a year ago that she would be marrying Draco Malfoy through an arranged marriage, she would have told them that they were absolutely bonkers and needed help. Yet here she was, staring at herself in the mirror, just an hour until the wedding, pacing back and forth nervously.

She wasn't quite sure why it was that she was so nervous. He loved her and she loved him. Isn't that all there is to it? It should really be that simple, yet for some reason it wasn't. Both of them knew that there was more to this wedding than the two of them being in love, after all that had happened afterwards.

He was Draco Malfoy, the rich snotty Slytherin Playboy and she was Hermione Granger, the bookworm Gryffindor who spent all her time keeping Harry and Ron out of trouble when she wasn't busy studying for one thing or the other. He played quidditch while she cheered in the stands, he was always the centre of attention while she blended into the crowd trying to go unnoticed. He had a family name and history, whereas she had been no one. To say that they were from two separate worlds would be saying it simply. They were oil and water, they simply just didn't mix. Hermione and Draco were not two people you would ever suspect could be anything other than enemies during their time at Hogwarts. And it had always been like that until recently.

And to say that the pair didn't hate each other would be completely false. Hermione and Draco had hated each other from the moment when they met that day on the train in first year. He was completely arrogant and acted as if his pureblood self was better than her.

He had made her cry on several occasions. Before she started at Hogwarts, her worst fear was that she wouldn't fit in among the rest of her peers because of her heritage, and he proved that right every chance he got. It had been the reason why she was always studying; not because she was that studious (even though she really loved to study), but because she didn't want to give people like him the satisfaction of seeing her really not be good enough for "his world".

She hated him. She hated the Draco Malfoy that she went to school with. But the Draco Malfoy that she was about to marry today was someone who is completely different from that person she had gone to school with. To say that the war had changed him would be an understatement.

The Draco that she knew now is compassionate and isn't afraid to show is feelings. He keeps himself in line and has made his way in the world without the influence of the once powerful Malfoy name. He created a new person for himself and shaped himself into the very best person that he could be. This Draco Malfoy was the type of person she dreamed of being able to fall in love with as a child, and she had and was about to marry him.

She picked up the veil from the dresser and placed it on her head. It had a clip on it so it sat nicely on the bun at the back of her hair. Her dress came right down to the ground to the point where there was an elegant train. Her sleeves were two inches thick and came down in a triangle shape so that the thinnest point of it met her dress. On the top section of the dress, it was fled with lacy intricate designs that were met with a sash that was held together by a diamond shaped gem. The bottom puffed outwards with the same lacy intricacy as above.

Her makeup was light, only a bit of lipstick, neutral eye shadow and mascara. She hated wearing too much of anything as it made her feel less natural, but for the amount she was wearing, she enjoyed how she looked. As she stared into the mirror she felt like a princess.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. She turned around to see her mother and father rush into the room. Her mother was in tears and Hermione knew from the look on her father's face that he was quite emotional as well. They both came and hugged her tightly. Hermione felt herself want to cry, but though better of it. Ginny had spent a lot of time on her makeup and would not be pleased if she saw her hard work ruined.

As they pulled away from her, her mom pulled a box out of her purse and gave it to Hermione. As she opened it, she saw a beautiful diamond necklace before her in the box. She let out a gasp. This must have cost them a fortune.

"It was given to me by my mother before my wedding and to her by her mother, and now that it's your turn I'm giving it to you." Her mother told her, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry too much today, but look at me. Your wedding hasn't even started and here I am crying up a river."

Hermione brought her mother into another tight embrace. "I love it mum, it's beautiful."

Her father looked at his watch at that moment and hustled the two of them out the door. The last thing she wanted was to be late to her own wedding.

**~DM&HG~**

Draco kept looking nervously toward the door. Any moment now Hermione would be walking through those doors and the wedding would begin. Today was the day he was marrying Hermione Granger, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

He loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was in no way having any second thoughts about this wedding. Yet he couldn't help but feel terrified of the event that was about to occur. What if he messed it up somehow? What if Hermione decided that she didn't want to marry him and instead found some random guy in America to marry?

He kept fidgeting with his sleeves until Harry gave him a glance. "Draco cut it out, you'll be fine."

Before he could give a reply he heard the wedding march begin. Draco turned around to see his fiancé walk into the room. He then felt his heart stop beating.

There was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen in his life. She radiated off energy and he felt his heart then quicken at the sight of her. As she walked down the aisle with her father many heads dropped and there were smiles and tears all around. The three women crying the most was probably both of their mothers and Mrs. Weasley.

As she reached him, her father took her hand and placed it in his, before returning to her seat.

"You look beautiful," he whispered to her and she smiled.

Dumbledore stood before them and gave them both huge smiles. "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to join Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger in matrimony. In all my years of as a professor at Hogwarts, I have never seen two students who were so different yet so alike in so many ways. When they first arrived they had no idea the kind of tasks that the next seven years of their lives would bring. Anyone who knew these students at Hogwarts would have been shocked to see this union, but as we have spent the last few months witnessing their relationship, we have seen the love they both have for each other."

"Marriage is a task that will probably be your greatest challenge yet. You will face many hardships, but also those of extreme love and compassion. You will be with each other every step of the way helping each other through those times of good and bad." Dumbledore said pausing. "Now Hermione, you may say your vows."

Hermione turned and looked into Draco's eyes. "Draco Malfoy, when I first met you that day at Hogwarts, you were an arrogant, pigheaded boy. I remember getting so cross at you sometimes and I sometimes just wanted to hex you into tomorrow. But you were never truly evil, and I need you to know that. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me Draco Malfoy, and every day I feel grateful to have to in my life. In the small amount of time that I've known you, it seems like it might as well have been forever. I feel like I've known you every day of my life and it seems so hard to imagine a day without you, and I want to know you for the rest of my life," she said with a smile.

It was now Draco's turn to speak. "Hermione I remember in 3rd year how you punched me in the face and called be a 'foul, loathsome, evil little cockroack'. I think it was at that point that I fell in love with you, while it may have been subconscious. No one had ever stood up to me like you did, and you made me realise that I was not above everyone else. But at the same time after the war you reminded me that I also was not below them either. Hermione, you helped me at a time when I was at my lowest. You helped pick up the pieces of damage and torn up shreds of dignity that I once had. You reminded me that I was worth it and that I could be loved. Hermione every day I look at you and see a witch that is far too good for me in every aspect." At that point there was not a single dry eye in the room.

At that point Hermione and Draco began to repeat after Dumbledore then exchanged rings.

"Do you Hermione Jean Granger, take Draco Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Hermione said firmly but happily.

"Do you Draco Malfoy, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Draco said with a smile.

"Then I hereby declare you bonded for life, you may kiss the bride," Dumbledore said.

Draco then pulled Hermione into a tight embrace and kissed her softly on the lips. Today was the best day of his life.

* * *

**A/N: **I know I was supposed to use Draco's middle name which probably was Lucius, and I didn't want to show that Hermione and Draco are done with him and want him not to be in their lives any further. I will include and epilogue to this story so don't worry about that. In addition to that, a few people have been asking for a sequel or a side story. I have decided to write a short fanfic about Narcissa and Snape because I really wanted to go more into that but simply had no time to do so. It won't be extremely long, at a few chapters at the most.


	31. 19 Years Later

**19 Years Later**

The cold autumn had been one that Hermione had looked forward to since she was the age of 11. It was when she finally had been able to start at Hogwarts, a place where she finally fit in. And now, all of her children were going the magical school she had called home for six years.

"One at a time you guys, otherwise you guys are going to clog the barrier and none of you will get to go to Hogwarts. Is that what you guys want?" Hermione said, scolding the three children that stood before her.

Scorpious, the oldest, was busy trying to keep his youngest sister calm while her older sister Carina told her horrid tales about the horrors of Hogwarts. Elara the youngest was nervously fumbling with her robes (her mother insisted she wore them to school instead of changing on the train, and Elara quite agreed), and Hermione looked over to Draco for help, yet he looked amused by the situation.

"You guys don't want to be left behind now do you? Otherwise you'll have to do what your uncle Harry and Ron did in second year and fly the car to Hogwarts," Draco said with a smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes at her unhelpful husband.

They heard a laugh at them, as they turned to see Harry approaching them. "Trust me, for the amount of trouble, it's not worth it," he said as he winked at them.

His eldest son James smiled at Carina when he saw her. He took her hand and allowed for her to go first through the barrier. Hermione smiled at how perfect those two were for each other in most aspects. Both were trouble makers who loved to stir up drama with their siblings. They both had spent a good deal of time in detention as well, which Hermione was not too pleased about. However Draco did not seem to like the idea of their two children dating. Carina was his daughter, and should not be seeing anyone until she was at least twenty. Hermione loved how protective he was over his two daugthers.

Hermione knew he had been pleased when she was sorted into Slytherin, especially after Scorpius was sorted into Gryffindor, after all she was the child that had taken the most after Draco in almost every aspect other than the unruly brunette hair.

As Albus saw Elara, he smiled at her. As both of them were younger siblings (although Albus wasn't the youngest), he and Elara had a lot in common. Both of them had been afraid of being sorted into a house where the other wasn't, as they were quite close and best friends from a young age. Elara was also the child who was the most fussed upon, being the youngest and all. She took after Hermione in her compassionate nature and her love of books. Physically she had long blond, yet wavy hair, and his grey eyes.

Scorpius passed through the barrier where he bet up with his girlfriend of the last seven years, Valora Zambini. Hermione was proud of her eldest child and only son, as he was more like her despite his physical appearance of being tall and possessing her husband's pale blonde hair. He was Head Boy this year and Hermione was overjoyed. He was quiet but could be just as mischievous as Draco when he wanted to be.

"Come on Love," Draco said to her as he kissed her hand and walked with her through the barrier. After the couple had gotten married there was a lot of stress upon them to conceive a child with in the first year. It had strained their marriage at times, but they were always able to work through it together. They had their ups and downs as couples tended to have, but not a single day went by where they weren't madly in love with each other.

Draco had been promoted at the Auror's office to the point where he was just under Harry himself, and Hermione couldn't be prouder. It had taken a few years but they had managed to find all the outstanding Death Eaters and lock them away in Azkaban. Hermione still worked in the office as the Medical Specialist and she had seen many interesting cases come her way. She loved the job she had, and had written several novels as well as given lectures on it as well. The profession was becoming one that more witches and wizards possessed all over the world. It had helped a lot in the Auror department when it came to the more specialized matters.

As they passed through the barrier they were met by the mob of witches and wizards hurrying to get their children all prepared an on the train. She was suddenly met by a sea of red hair, and she knew that the rest of the Weasley Children were here. Between the lot of them, there were nineteen children, all of which took after their parents in the aspects which they reflected most.

Hermione knew that many others were also happier now than they ever had been. Narcissa had finally found happiness with Severus, and the two of them had moved into a cottage in the country side. Hermione knew it had been to give both newly married couples some privacy, and she felt lucky to have her as her mother-in-law.

However other's hadn't been so lucky. Lucius had passed away into his second year in the cell after his recapture. The strain had been so bad on him that he couldn't take it anymore. Draco had felt guilty about his lack of visitation for the longest time before being able to accept his death.

Elara looked scared and Hermione knew why. She was afraid that she wasn't going to fit into Hogwarts and that she would be placed in Hufflepuff. Normally being a Hufflepuff wouldn't be bad, but between her father, James, and Carina, she had heard that only the most useless witches and wizards ended up there. Hermione had been the first to scold them at the teasing.

"Elara, what's wrong sweetie," Hermione said as she met her daughter at eye level.

"Mum what if I'm not sorted into the right house? What if I fail all my exams and have to repeat the year? What if I can't make friends and all the professors hate me," Elara asked fearfully.

"Elara, there is no wrong house. Every single one of those houses have given the world great witches and wizards. On top of that, where ever you end up with be lucky to have a talented witch like you as an addition. You won't fail your exams because you are one of the smartest witches I know. And you already have so many friends, and you will make so many more, and those friends will be with you forever. And sweetie just be yourself and no one will hate you," Hermione said reassuring as she hugged her daughter.

At that point Draco bent down on his knee. "And Ella, if they try, just tell them that you're a Malfoy, and that your father will hear about this. Trust me, it works every time," he said as he winked at her. She laughed at this, as her mother and aunts and uncles told her many, many stories about her father at Hogwarts. Hermione simply rolled her eyes at this.

Just then Ron and Luna came up to the couple and greeted them. It had taken a while for the Hermione to trust Ron again. After his jail time and the three years in therapy she had begun to meet with him as his therapist said it would be good for him. She had been sceptical at first but slowly began to meet up with him (with Draco there of course), but it still took years before she could trust him again, and several more for them to become friends again. Eight years after the end of the war, Hermione was able to call him her friend again, although they weren't ever as close. It had taken Draco a lot longer of a time to come close to accepting him. Only within the last three years had he come to accept his friendship with his wife. But he still never let her see him alone. Draco didn't want to take any chances and both Hermione and Ron accepted that.

Their children however had gotten along just fine. Rose, who was just starting Hogwarts was also just as nervous as the other would be first years, and she met up with Elara and Albus and immediately begun talking with the pair. Hugo however sauntered off to go find Lily. The pair were still upset that they would once again be left behind.

As the children boarded the train, Hermione kissed all three of them goodbye. Scorpius was fine with this, however it didn't stop Carina from pulling away embarrassed. Elara held on to her mother the longest before Scorpius gently began to lead her away.

"Scorpius, take care of your sisters," Hermione called out. "And study hard for your NEWT's this year." She knew that she did not need to tell her son this, but still felt the need to. He was considering going into Magical Enforcement, and both Hermione and Draco supported this completely.

Scorpius turned around and smiled at his mother. "Don't worry mum, I will. I doubt that Carina would want me looking after her, but I still will," he said, smirking his father's trademark smirk at the last part. He was so alike his father, and both of them knew it. Hermione was glad that he had at least gained her studious abilities.

Draco held his wife closely as she began to shed tears, just as she had for the last seven years. Harry walked up to her at that point and squeezed her hand as he held Ginny.

"It seems just like yesterday we were on that train doesn't it? Remember how you fixed my glasses?" Harry asked her with a laugh.

She smiled at his remembrance. She had been so nervous that day that she had compensated by going around practicing magic every chance she got. She also had a run in with Draco that day.

_*Flashback*_

_Hermione held the book up in closely to her face reading it again for the millionth time. She hadn't been watching where she was going and bumped straight into him, causing her to fall straight into him, and taking them both down to the ground._

_The blonde haired pale boy looked at her in surprise, but did not sneer at her clumsiness. He helped her up of the ground and smiled at her before continuing on his way_

_*End Flashback*_

Hermione and Draco both knew that it was the first time that they had officially met and that Draco would have made fun of her if he knew her blood status. But he hadn't asked her what her name was so he wasn't obliged to find out her purity. It was the only moment at Hogwarts where Draco was openly nice to a muggleborn, and they both knew it.

They had both changed a lot more in the last nineteen years than they had their entire lives. They had become more understanding towards the other and also began accepting their spouse's friends. Hermione had become great friends with Blaise Zambini as Draco had with Harry and Ginny.

If anyone would have told her when she was in school that she would end up happily married to Draco Malfoy she would have told them that they were off their rocker. Yet here the two of them were.

Who would have guessed that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were a perfect match for each other?

* * *

**A/n: **This story is finally done and I'm quite sad about ending this story. I'd love to continue this forever, but without a plot the story would be meaningless.

Anyways, on a happier note, keep an eye out for the Narcissa x Snape Fanfic 'A New Kind of Love' which I'll post on within the next few days.

I'm also going to start planning my next story so keep an eye out for that

Lastly, thank you to all the people who favourite, reviewed, and followed this story. It means a lot that you guys like this story and hopefully will like what I publish in the future as well. You guys are absolutely the greatest for following along with this story.


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